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THE 

BOOK OF ATHLETICS 



EDITED BY 
PAUL WITHINGTON, M. D. 

Assistant Graduate Treasurer Harvard Athletic Association, 
1910-1914; Captain Harvard Swimming Team, 1908, 1909; 
Member Harvard Football Eleven, 1908, 1909; Mem- 
ber Harvard Eight-Oared Crew, 1909; Winner New 
England Championship in Wrestling, 1909; 
Winner Boston Metropolitan Champion- 
ship in Single Sculls, 1912, 1913 ; Cap- 
tain Union Boat Club Eight. 



Illustrated From Many Photographs 
of Athletes and Athletic Events 




BOSTON 
LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO. 



(S\l70l 

.\A)T5 



Published, August, 1914, 



Copyright, 1914, by Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Company 



All rights reserved 



The Book of Athletics 



AUG 251S!4 



Berwick & Smith Co. 
Norwood, Mass., U.S.A. 


©Cl,A38d092 



PREFACE 

** The Book of Athletics '^ first appeared 
in 1895. It was edited by Norman W. Bing- 
ham, Jr., at that time Captain of the Harvard 
Track Team, and was a collection of articles 
^^ containing practical advice and suggestions 
from college team-captains and other amateurs 
on football, baseball, rowing, sprinting, tennis, 
golf, bicycling, swimming, skating, yachting, 
and other allied subjects, '^ and was intended as 
a guide to young athletes. 

Nearly twenty years have elapsed since the 
appearance of this book, and in that time knowl- 
edge of and participation in athletics have 
spread tremendously. There are to-day vol- 
umes of material, both instructive and histor- 
ical, on all branches of sport. There are doz- 
ens of men skilled in coaching scattered over 
the country, teaching men and boys both the 
elements and fine points of our many games, 
and there is to-day a widespread and almost 
universal interest in sports which far sur- 
passes that of twenty years ago. With this 
spread of interest, there has grown up an ever- 
increasing desire and demand for the expert's 
view, with the result that the daily papers, the 



vi PREFACE 

current weeklies, and the monthly magazines 
are full of accounts of games, discussions and 
criticisms written by star players and expert 
coaches. Many of these articles are mere trash, 
others contain much that is good. It is from 
such material that the nucleus of this book was 
gathered. 

** The Book of Athletics 'Ms a collection of 
articles written by players, captains, coaches, 
and trainers of many college teams, and by 
others who have had a wide experience in 
athletics. While it makes no pretense of con- 
taining exhaustive treatises on all branches of 
sports, or even of being a complete and suffi- 
cient text-book on those sports considered, it 
has been the endeavor of the editor in gathering 
material to cover in an interesting and instruct- 
ive way the games commonly played in school 
and college circles. The book is designed to 
give those interested a certain amount of 
knowledge and insight into the player's side of 
athletics. It is intended that the discussions 
shall not be so technical as to be unintelligible 
to beginners, nor so elementary as to fail to 
interest the more expert. 

The present edition will be found to be some- 
what more specialized than the first. This 
seems to coincide with the trend of the times. 
The greatest space and endeavor have been 
given to what are known in college ranks as the 
major sports. Accordingly, much more space 



PREFACE vii 

has been allotted to football, on which there are 
articles not only on the game in general, but 
on each position and on the important features 
of the game. Track athletics likewise have 
become so important that sections are devoted 
to its several events. In other sports, where 
the general knowledge is so advanced that 
teaching-articles would be more technical than 
is the plan of this book, there have been sub- 
stituted articles with either an historical or 
a psychological interest. Thus in baseball, the 
articles deal not so much with the coaching or 
playing of the various positions as with the 
importance of team play, quick thinking, and 
a thorough understanding of the intricacies of 
the game. But though the major sports claim 
most attention, the minor sports have been by 
no means neglected, and an effort has been 
made to include all the forms of athletics com- 
mon to schools and colleges, the list including, 
besides the above mentioned sports, rowing, 
ice-hockey, tennis, swimming, soccer football, 
wrestling, lacrosse, basket-ball, and golf. To 
have covered all sorts of sports as fully as in 
the case of football would have meant a book 
so large and so expensive that its very aim 
would have been defeated. 

For the sake of comparison, one or two arti- 
cles from the first edition are included in the 
second. Golf, twenty years ago, was a new 
game in America and the article was entitled, 



viii PREFACE 

'' Golf the coming game.'' If for no other 
reason, a reprint of this article is interesting 
for comparison in view of the general popular- 
ity of this game to-day. 

The writers of the various articles are thor- 
oughly familiar with their subjects, and each 
division contains a wealth of excellent material. 
The men are all experts in their lines, in fact, 
in many cases stand at the head of their par- 
ticular branch of athletics. It would be quite 
impossible to make up a list of the greatest 
athletes and athletic teachers of the present 
decade without including such names as those 
of the late Michael C. Murphy, the dean of 
track coaches; Dr. Alvin C. Kraenzlein of 
Pennsylvania, who is to organize and train the 
German Olympic Team of 1916; Ralph O. 
Craig of Michigan, winner of two first places 
in the 1912 Olympic Games ; James Thorpe of 
Carlisle, the wonderful Indian athlete; Keene 
Fitzpatrick, Track Coach at Princeton, for- 
merly at the University of Michigan; all of 
whom are contributors to this book. Quite as 
impressive as any is the football section, with 
articles by Fielding H. Yost, Coach of the 
Michigan eleven ; Henry H. Ketcham of Yale ; 
E. J. Hart, Sanford B. White, and J. M. 
Duff of Princeton, the latter now Coach of 
the University of Pittsburgh; Leland S. De- 
vore of the Army; John Dalton of the 
Navy; Percy L. Wendell and Edw. W. Mahan 



PREFACE ix 

of Harvard. But the other sports are quite 
as well and fully covered — Tennis by R. 
Norris Williams of Harvard, Intercollegiate 
Champion and member of the American Davis 
Cup Team in 1913; Hockey by Fred D. Hunt- 
ington of Harvard and member of the Boston 
Athletic Association Hockey Team; Basket- 
ball by Fred A. Kohler of Princeton, and Jas. 
A. Reilly of Yale ; Lacrosse by Paul Gustaf son 
of Harvard ; Rowing by Gen. W. A. Bancroft ; 
Soccer by H. G. Francke, Captain of the Har- 
vard 1914 Association Team; Golf by the late 
Ralph Cracknell and S. P. Griffitts, Manager 
of the Harvard 1914 Golf Team. Each sport 
included is handled by well-known and capable 
athletes. The personality of these men is por- 
trayed in their work and adds greatly to the 
interest and value of the book. Where no au- 
thor is specified, the article has been prepared 
by the editor, who has covered the subject of 
Wrestling, and contributed articles on Foot- 
ball, Rowing, and Swimming. 



Paul Withington. 



Harvard Athletic Association, 
May, 1914. 



CONTENTS 

INTRODUCTION 

PAGE 

The Essentials of an Athlete. By Paul Withington 3 

Competitive Athletics: Their Place in School and 
College Sports, and a Word about Training 
FOR Athletic Events. By Paul Withington . . 8 

FOOTBALL 

Team -Play; Types of Players, and Rules. By 
Paul Withington .21 

Modern Football and How to Play It. By Michael 
C. Murphy 27 

Training for the Team. By Dr. Alvin C. Kraenzlein, 
University of Pennsylvania, Holder of the World's 
Record in the Low Hurdles and Broad Jump; Ex- 
trainer of the University of Michigan Football Team, 
and Coach of the Track Team; Coach and Super- 
visor of the German Olympic Team for 1916 . . 35 

The New Football a Game for Thinkers. By 
Fielding H. Yost, Coach of the University of Michi- 
gan Football Team 47 

Football Generalship: The Captain, and the 
Quarter - Back. By Paul Withington ... 52 

How TO Play Center. By Henry H. Ketcham, Cap- 
tain of the Yale Football Team, 1913; All-America 
Center, 1911-1912 61 

How to Play Guard. By Joseph M. Duff, Princeton, 
All-America Guard, 1911; Coach of the University 
of Pittsburgh Football Team, 1913-1914 ... 70 

How TO Play Tackle. By Edward J. Hart, Prince- 
ton, All-America Tackle, 1911; Coach at Princeton, 
1913 75 

Tackle Play. By Leland S. Devore, Captain of the 
Army, 1911, All-America Tackle 81 



xii CONTENTS 



PAGE 



Importance of the End Position. By Stanfield 
Wells, Michigan, All- America End . . . . 91 

How TO Play Fullback. By John P. Dalton, U. S. 
Naval Academy, All- America Fullback . . .104 

The Play of the Backs. By Percy L. Wendell, Har- 
vard, All-America Back, 1910, 1911, 1912 ... 112 

How TO Play Halfback. By James Thorpe, Carlisle 
Indian School, All- America Halfback; Winner at 
Olympic Games, 1912 120 

Kicking. By Edward W. Mahan, Harvard, All- 
America, 1913 134 

Following the Ball. By Sanford B. White, Prince- 
ton, All-America End, 1911 141 

TRACK ATHLETICS 

Track Athletics. By Paul Withington . . .153 
How to Become a Sprinter. By Michael C. Murphy, 
Trainer of the University of Pennsylvania and of 
the American Olympic Teams of 1908-1912 . . 155 

How to Run the Hundred, and Two Hundred- 
Twenty Yard Dashes. By Ralph C. Craig, Michi- 
gan, Winner of the 220-yard dash, I. C. A. A. A. 
Meet, 1910; the 100, and 220-yard dashes, 1911, 
and of the 100, and 200-meter runs at the Olympic 
Games, 1912; Joint Holder of the World's 220-yard 
Record 166 

How TO Train for the Distance Run. By Keene 
Fitzpatrick, Trainer at Princeton, formerly Trainer 
at University of Michigan 177 

The Art of Hurdling. By A. L. Jackson, Harvard, 
Winner of the High Hurdles, Harvard- Yale Meet, 
1913; Second in the High Hurdles, I. C. A. A. A. 
Games, 1913; Joint Holder of Harvard- Yale Dual 
Record in High Hurdles 189 

FIELD ATHLETICS 

How TO Throw the Weights. By Joseph Horner, Jr., 
Michigan, Winner of the Shot-Put, I. C. A. A. A. 
Meet, 1911, and one of America's Best All-round 
Athletes . , , 197 



CONTENTS . xiii 

PAQB 

The Running Broad - Jump, the High - Jump, and 
THE Pole - Vault. By Jay B. Camp, Harvard, 
Winner of First Place in the High Jump, I. C. A. A. A. 
Meet, 1913, and Second Place in the Pole- Vault . 213 

THE OLYMPIC GAMES OF 1912 
The Olympic Games of 1912. By Ralph C. Craig . 233 

BASEBALL 

Science vs. Skill in Baseball. By Irving E. San- 
born, Dartmouth, 1889; Baseball Editor, Chicago 
Tribune; Member Chalmers Trophy Commission 
to select each Season the Player in each Major 
League who has been of Greatest Service to his 
Team 253 

The Importance of Batting. By Irving E. Sanborn 264 

Amateur vs. Professional. By Irving E. Sanborn . 278 

The Inside Game as Played by Catcher and 
Pitcher. By Irving E. Sanborn .... 292 

How Inside Baseball Has Decreased the Bat- 
ting BY Perfecting Defensive Fielding. By 
Irving E. Sanborn 303 

Scoring the Game. By Irving E. Sanborn . . 314 

ROWING 

Rowing. By Paul WitUngton 333 

How to Train a Crew. By Gen. W. A. Bancroft, 
Harvard, 1878, Captain and Coach of many suc- 
cessful Harvard Eights 348 

HOCKEY 

Hockey. By Fred D. Huntington, Harvard, Captain 
of the Harvard Hockey Team, 1912; Member of 
the B. A. A. Hockey Team, 1912, 1913, 1914 . . 363 

LAWN TENNIS 

A Sermon on Lawn Tennis. By James Dwight, The 
Father of American Lawn Tennis .... 377 



xiv CONTENTS 

PAGB 

Lawn Tennis. By Richard Norris Williams, M, Har- 
vard, Intercollegiate Champion, 1913; Member of 
the American Davis Cup Team, 1913 . . . 386 

SWIMMING 

Swimming. By Paul Withington 401 

The Art of Swimming. By Harry Rose . . . 406 
Sport in the Water. By Alexander Black . . 416 

INTERCOLLEGIATE SOCCER 

Intercollegiate Soccer. By H. G. Francke, Captain 
of the Harvard 1914 Association Football Team . 433 

WRESTLING 

Wrestling. By Paul Withington 447 

LACROSSE 

Lacrosse. By Paul Gustafson, Captain of the Har- 
vard Lacrosse Team of 1912, Intercollegiate Cham- 
pions of America; Coach of the Harvard Team, 
1913 457 

BASKETBALL 

How to Play Basketball. By Fred A, Kohler^ 
Captain of the Princeton Basketball Team, 1912 . 475 

Basketball: The Offense. By James A. Reilly^ 
Captain of the Yale Basketball Team, 1913 . . 486 

GOLF 

Golf: The Coming Game. By Ralph Cracknell . 499 

Golf as a Game. By S. P. Griffitts, Manager Harvard 
Golf Team, 1914 504 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

Paul Withington Frontispiece k 

FACING PAGE y 

The Forward Pass 28 ^ 

A well-planned Forward Pass in the Harvard- 
Yale Game, 1913. 

Hardwick running for a Touchdown after receiv- 
ing a Forward Pass in the Harvard-Brown 
Game, 1913. 

Fish of Harvard about to receive a Forward Pass 
in the Harvard- Yale Game, 1908. 

Potter of Harvard throwing the Ball to Felton in 
the Harvard-Brown Game, 1911. . 

Quarter - Back Play, and Tackling . . . . 56 ^ 

Handling the Ball in the Back-Field. 

Harvard Football Men practising Tackling on the 
Dummies at Soldiers' Field, Cambridge. 

Punting 74 v/ 

A Savage Attack on the Kicker. 

Flynn of Yale Punting in the Harvard-Yale Game, 
1913. 

Guernsey of Yale Punting in the Harvard- Yale 
Game, 1913. 

Shepard of Maine getting away a 60-Yard Punt 
in the Harvard-Maine Game, 1912. 

The Value of Interference 92 \/^ 

Mahan of Harvard making a long End Run in 
the Harvard-Holy Cross Game, 1913. 

Thorpe of Carlisle starting on a long End Run 
in the Harvard-Carlisle Game, 1911. 

Hardwick of Harvard making a successful End 
Run in the Harvard-Yale Game, 1913. 

XV 



xvi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING PA.G1E 

The Drop - Kick 108 ^ 

Brickley kicking One of his Five successful Field- 
Goals in the Harvard- Yale Game, 1913. 

Guernsey scoring for Yale by a Drop-Kick. 
Harvard- Yale Game, 1913. 

The Fake Kick. One Method of Protecting the 
Kicker. Harvard- Yale Game, 1913. 

Play of the Backs 112 «^ 

Captain Wendell of Harvard making a good Gain 
in the Harvard-Dartmouth Game, 1912. 

Wilson of Yale running back a Kick for 35 Yards in 
the Harvard- Yale Game, 1913. 

The Place - Kick 126 '^ 

Brickley kicking a Goal from Placement after a 
Fair Catch. Harvard- Yale Game, 1913. 

Thorpe of Carlisle kicking a Goal from Placement 
in a Scrimmage. Harvard-Carlisle Game, 1911. 

The Army scores by a Place-Kick. Army-Navy 
Game, 1913. 



The Navy scores a Field-Goal. 
Game, 1913. 


Army-Navy 


E. W. Mahan of Harvard Punting . 


. . . 134 


The Sprints 


. . . 166 



Ralph Craig winning the 100- Yard in Record Time 
of 9 4-5 Seconds. Intercollegiate Games of 
1911. 

Drew and Craig at the Tape at the Finish of the 
100-Meters in the Olympic Try-Outs in the 
Harvard Stadium, 1912. 

Patterson of Penn. winning the 100- Yards in 9 4-5 
Seconds. IntercoUegiates, 1913. 

The Middle - Distance Runs 184 ^^ 

Young of Amherst winning the Quarter in 48 4-5 
Seconds. IntercoUegiates, 1911. 

Caldwell of Cornell winning Half-Mile Run in One 
Minute, 53 2-5 Seconds, and Breaking Record. 
IntercoUegiates, 1914. 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xvii 

FACING PAGE 

The, Distance Runs 188 1/ 

John Paul Jones of Cornell making a New World's 
One-Mile Record of 4 Minutes, 14 2-5 Seconds. 
IntercoUegiates, 1913. 

The Field in the Mile Run. IntercoUegiates, 1913. 

The Hurdles 192 \/ 

James Wendell of Wesleyan winning High Hurdles. 
IntercoUegiates, 1913. 

Cummings of Harvard and Chisholm of Yale over 
a Hurdle together. Harvard- Yale Game, 1912. 

Jackson of Harvard leading in the Semi-Finals of 
High Hurdles. IntercoUegiates, 1913. 

The Shot - Put and Hammer - Throw . . . 202 ^ 
Joseph Horner finishing his Winning Put of 46 
Feet, 7 1-8 Inches. IntercoUegiates, 1911. 

L. A. Whitney of Dartmouth, Intercollegiate 
Champion in 1913. 

WiUiam E. Quinn at the Beginning of a Throw. 

The Broad Jump 214 ^ 

WiUiam E. Quinn just leaving the Take-Off. 

Mercer of Penn., Intercollegiate Champion in 
1912 and 1913. 

Piatt Adams of the New York Athletic Club. 

Throwing Every Muscle into a Final Effort to 
gain Distance before landing. 

The High Jump 218 ^ 

The late WiUiam E. Quinn, Field Coach of Har- 
vard, clearing Six Feet in Perfect Style. 
Over Six Feet in the IntercoUegiates. 

The Pole -Vault 222 '^ 

J. B. Camp of Harvard. 

Wagoner of Yale, former Intercollegiate Record- 
Holder, poising his Pole before starting his Run. 

J. B. Camp clearing 12 Feet at the Olympic Try- 
Outs, June, 1912, for Third Place. 

Wagoner over 12 Feet, 6 Inches. 



y 



xviii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING PAGE yf 

Practice on the Machine ^ 336 ^ 

The Catch. In the Middle of the Pull. 

The Finish. The Recover. 

Some Eight - Oared Crews 358 v^ 

The Harvard Eight of 1911 just before the Catch. 

The Cornell Crew of 1912 at Full Reach. 

Harvard's 1912 Crew at New London. 

Finish of the Columbia-Harvard Race in 1907, 
Columbia winning by Three-Quarters of a 
Length. 

Hockey Practice in the Harvard Stadium . . 372 "^ 

Soccer 438 

A Battle for the Ball in a Harvard-Yale Soccer 
Game. 

Legal Body-Checking. Heading the Ball. 
Wrestling I 448 

The Referee's Hold. 

First Standing Hold. Second Standing Hold. / 

Wrestling II 450 

Third Standing Hold. 

The Full-Nelson. The Half-Nelson. 
Wrestling III 452 

The Body Scissors combined with a Half-Nelson. 

Head Scissors and Arm Hold. 

Finishing the Arm Lock and Roll. 

Pinning Opponent to the Mat. 
Lacrosse I 464 

Scrimmage in Front of Goal. The Face-Off. 

Goal. Body-Check. 
Lacrosse II 472 

A Shot at Goal. Dodge. 

Another Dodge. Fast Playing on Attack. 



y 



/ 



THE 

BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

INTRODUCTION 
THE ESSENTIALS OF AN ATHLETE 



THE 

BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

INTEODUCTION 
THE ESSENTIALS OF AN ATHLETE 

The great majority of our boys would like to 
be athletes. There is nothing wrong or abnor- 
mal in this desire, and the only thing to be re- 
gretted is that all do not follow up their wish 
and actually become athletes. There are few 
boys, indeed, who have not the ability, the 
strength, and the time necessary to make them 
proficient in some branch of athletics. The 
essentials of a good athlete are few and simple. 

First, what are the physical requirements 
of an athlete ? A great many boys would 
like to be athletes, but say to themselves,^* We 
are too small — we are too light, we would have 
little chance against men so much stronger — 
others will laugh at our attempt.'' They 
are wrong. A few years ago Mr. Wm. F. Gar- 
celon, then Graduate Treasurer of the Harvard 
Athletic Association, formed what he called ** a 
class for non-athletic freshmen.*' To be^n 
with, he chose seven boys in the freshman class, 

3 



4 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

whose records in studies were above the aver- 
age, but who had never entered into any ath- 
letic games and who were consequently un- 
developed physically. Three times a week 
throughout the winter and early spring he 
went with these boys to the gymnasium. He 
saw that they learned to run, to jump, to vault, 
to tumble, and to hurdle. They were given a 
few lessons in boxing, a few in fencing and in 
one or two other forms of sport. None of these 
boys had ever attempted any of these things 
before, but every one of them took to it like 
ducks to the water. They enjoyed it and sur- 
prised themselves when they found that they 
possessed ability in things which they had sup- 
posed beyond their possibilities. One member 
of the class became so proficient in jumping 
that he won his numerals in an inter-freshman 
meet. One later became a member of the Var- 
sity track team and was entered in all its games. 
Since its origin this class has grown in size 
and in compass, and each year has thirty or 
forty members. Its object remains the same — 
to interest the boy who has always considered 
himself non-athletic, in athletics as a source of 
pleasure and education. Hardly a year passes 
but one or two of these boys become leading 
candidates for some one of the many Harvard 
teams. I have followed this class each year, 
and I can think of no boy that worked conscien- 
tiously, who, at the end of the given time, was 



INTRODUCTION 5 

not a very fair performer in at least one of the 
chosen activities. Several of these boys have 
become very proficient ; one as a captain of the 
fencing team, several as candidates for the 
wrestling team, others as candidates for the 
track team. 

This being the case, let no boy hesitate to 
enter the great field of athletics because he is 
too small or too weak. There are many great 
* ^ little ' ' men in the athletic world to-day, and 
the boy who is weak has no better way of be- 
coming strong. Even physical defect is not 
always a sufficient reason for not entering 
heartily into games. To be sure, a boy with 
a bad heart or other organic weakness should 
enter competition only after consulting his doc- 
tor, but even boys with weak hearts have been 
known to get strong and become athletes of 
note. Physical defects of other sorts can often 
be greatly minimized by judicious athletic ex- 
ercise, and, though often a hardship, should not 
be a barrier to the enjoyment of sports. I have 
personally known several swimmers of great 
ability who had the full use of only one leg — 
there have been men with but one arm on col- 
lege football teams, and others with similar 
handicaps making good in tennis, gymnastics, 
and other sports. The realm of sport is so large 
that physical deficiency should rarely bar one 
from athletics. There are games suited to 
big men, and games suited to small men — 



6 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

games where great strength is an advantage, 
and games where it counts little or nothing; 
games where quickness is all-important, and 
others where endurance plays the greater part. 
In fact, in following athletics closely, one is 
amazed at the great variety in types of ath- 
letes. 

So much for the physical, now for the mental. 
It seems to me that first of all comes persever- 
ance. A great many times men come out for 
athletic teams in their first college year who 
appear hopeless so far as ever becoming first- 
class players — these same men work from one 
year to the other, apparently improving little 
until finally in their junior or senior year they 
blossom out as stars. Now what has caused 
this change? Not any new coaching or any 
new-born ability; not recently gained strength. 
It was perseverance, the determination to mas- 
ter the goal which had been set, the gradual 
overcoming of first one difficulty and then an- 
other until finally the lessons so tediously 
learned became second nature, and the old task 
which seemed so hard was made easy by prac- 
tice. These are the cases in which the coach 
rejoices and which go to make athletics truly 
worth while. 

Courage is a great asset, but courage can be 
gained by perseverance. Ability for quick 
thinking, or decision, is worth much to an ath- 
lete, but this quality has been gained through 



INTRODUCTION 7 

perseverance. Level-headedness is often gained 
by continual practice. These all are essentials, 
but they are all secondary to perseverance, and 
this great truth every athlete should bear in 
mind. 

Lastly, what are the essentials morally? 
They may be summed up in the few words: 
the spirit of fair play. Every true athlete 
wishes nothing but what he gains fairly and 
squarely. *^ It is better to play fair and lose 
than to win by foul means,'' is told to boys so 
often that they sometimes feel it is an idealistic 
statement which means but little ; but not until 
an athlete has made this his motto and acts 
according to it does he really come to know the 
fun of competition and the true pleasure of 
athletic games. 

So if we sum up our essentials we find that 
few boys indeed are so built that they do not 
possess them all. God has given most of us 
bodies sufficiently strong, perseverance suffi- 
ciently lasting, and the spirit of fair play. If 
we develop all of these and abuse none, there is 
little reason why most of us should not be 
athletes. 



COMPETITIVE ATHLETICS: THEIR 
PLACE IN SCHOOL AND COLLEGE 
SPORTS, AND A WORD ABOUT 
TRAINING FOR ATHLETIC EVENTS 

We live in an age of competition. Wherever 
the youth of America gathers, and wherever 
the formation of a team is possible, we find 
competitive games going on. Schools and col- 
leges are often judged in the public eye more 
by the success of their athletic teams than by 
their attainments in the fields of education. 
Athletic clubs flourish all over the country, and 
in all cases they flourish in almost direct rela- 
tion to their achievement in competitive games. 
This condition is in many respects compara- 
tively recent, and like all rapidly growing in- 
stitutions, it has its good points and its bad. 
Few will deny that the intense interest in ath- 
letic contests is a factor in bringing about 
democracy and in breaking down provincial 
barriers. Another desirable condition which 
competition in athletics enhances is the increas- 
ing number of young men who are gaining the 
value of physical exercise. But I am not here 
going to discuss the merits of competitive ath- 
letics, but shall rather point out certain dangers 

8 



COMPETITIVE ATHLETICS 9 

which lie in an over-abundance of competition 
for the growing boy. 

Wherever we see boys at play, we are always 
amazed at the tremendous amount of muscular 
exertion which they can endure without becom- 
ing fatigued and without serious after-effects. 
His ability to stand tremendous exertion and 
recuperate from it rapidly is at the same time 
the boy's greatest safeguard and his worst 
enemy in competition. In childhood, children 
are incessantly on the go, but while their little 
bodies become tired, their minds are laboring 
with none of the cares of their older brethren. 
As the boy grows up and goes into preparatory 
school, he becomes wrapped up in his athletics. 
All about him is evident the glory of athletics, 
and he wishes to have his share in their honors. 
He goes out for his school team. In the major- 
ity of cases the actual physical work which he 
undertakes is probably no greater than that to 
which he is accustomed. There has, however, 
been added to his play a serious note, the men- 
tal strain which comes with the necessity of 
doing his level best whenever he is called upon. 
His exercise is no longer the result of im- 
pulse alone, but it is a part of a well-formed 
plan. From the educational point of view this 
may be a gain ; from the physical point of view, 
unless carefully guided, it becomes a danger. 

When a boy is running and playing for fun, 
although he may be trying his best, he will 



10 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

never drive himself beyond the breaking point. 
The same boy placed on the running track with 
a month's training behind him, with his school- 
mates urging him on, will fight until he can 
do no more and will punish himself to the last 
notch of his endurance. In this case, the harm 
is done, not by the running, nor by the exercise, 
nor by the muscular strain, but by the addition 
of mental anxiety to the physical strain. A 
wise old Boston doctor once said that no man 
could work his brain and his muscles at top 
speed at the same time without breaking down, 
whereas any man could work either his brain 
or his muscles at top speed and thrive. And 
yet this is what our school-boy athlete, who is 
going through a series of strenuous competi- 
tions, is actually trying to do. He throws into 
his competition not only his arms and his legs, 
but his mind, working at its top rate of speed. 
He has not learned that his spirit is developed 
far beyond his physical strength. 

This does not hold true in all cases. There 
are many boys who, when they enter school, 
have passed that developmental stage, or that 
line which divides the boy from the man, and 
are less liable to suffer harm. But to the boy 
who is still growing fast and who is working 
hard on his studies, I would advise a minimum 
of competition, although the amount of phys- 
ical exercise may be considerable. In the long 
run, such a course will not prove unsatisfac- 



COMPETITIVE ATHLETICS 11 

tory. I think it can be stated as a fact that the 
majority of great college athletes either played 
no part at all or a minor part in their school 
contests. They were either too small for the 
team, or had not gained their strength and 
poise. This is probably more true in such 
branches of athletics as track and rowing, 
where greater endurance is required in every 
race, than it is in games such as baseball, ten- 
nis and football, where lack of these qualities 
may be made up for by particular skill. In 
many cases the great school athlete finds him- 
self passed in college by boys who were unde- 
veloped in school. 

Although competitive athletics is a danger- 
ous field for the unguided boy to tread, never- 
theless there is so much to be learned from its 
struggles that it has become regarded as an 
essential part of school and college life. In 
order to make this part as sane as possible, in 
order to guard against its dangers, there fol- 
lows a discussion of that problem known as 
training. There is probably no factor in con- 
nection with athletic events which has been so 
wrongly interpreted as that of training. It is 
an essential part of well-conducted athletics, 
but sometimes much exaggerated and grossly 
abused. To the uninitiated, training, especially 
at one of our big universities, means trainers, 
masseurs, and training-tables, all so arranged 
as to put the candidate through a period of 



12 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

severe, gruelling preparation for Ms coming 
event. Unfortunately, in many cases this idea 
has had more than hearsay for its basis. Many 
weird practices have gone on under the caption 
of training. To add to the glamor of training, 
the professional baseball teams of this country 
arrange elaborate spring training trips lasting 
over a period of a month or more. But when 
one analyzes training and comes down to hard- 
pan, it means merely getting the body and the 
mind, which is fully as important in all contests 
as the body, into the best possible condition to 
undergo the strain of competition. The best 
way to accomplish this is the simplest way. 
Training means nothing more than leading a 
healthy, normal life. It means plenty of sleep, 
plenty of good, common food, plenty of fresh 
air and a moderate amount of well-directed 
exercise; it means doing the daily work in a 
business-like and systematic manner, so that 
its cares may not detract from the strength- 
building process. 

One mistake which young athletes are most 
likely to make while training is to overdo the 
amount of hard exercise. It takes very little 
extra work to get a young, active boy into good 
physical shape, and it is a wise trainer or coach 
who realizes that when his charges are in con- 
dition, very little work is required to keep them 
there, whereas a great amount is sure to send 
them to the line stale. In the beginning, the 



COMPETITIVE ATHLETICS 13 

work should always be light until the muscles, 
the heart, and the lungs become accustomed to 
the new conditions. The increase should be 
gradual. If trying for speed, that is, running, 
rowing, swimming, a boy should not attempt 
races or time trials over the full distance until 
his condition is good. The stop-watch should 
be put away until such time as he is fit to do 
his best, and then the watch should appear not 
oftener than once a week. If training for a 
team, the men should not be allowed to lose 
their edge from overwork. An hour a day of 
fairly active work of any sort is ordinarily 
enough, and never should the day^s work be so 
long as to leave the athlete exhausted. 

Then as to sleep. Nothing is so important 
as plenty of sleep taken at regular hours. En- 
durance is directly dependent upon sleep. No 
boy in training ought to do with less than nine 
hours of sleep; a great many need a full ten. 
As men grow older, they can do with less, but 
even old-stagers plan for a good night's sleep 
before their important contests, and the best 
athletes always make early bed hours their rule. 
Ten o'clock is the usual bed hour for college 
teams, nine-thirty before important events. 
Sleep more than anything else restores the 
muscles to their normal condition, and after 
exercise, it provides the best means for remov- 
ing the waste material and storing up of new 
fuel in the body tissues. So we make the rule 



14 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

that plenty of sleep is essential to training in 
athletics. 

Always a mnch-discussed question is that of 
the diet during the training period. The train- 
ing-table in the past has been much abused. It 
is now looked upon not as an essential part of 
athletics, but as a pleasant means whereby the 
men on a team are brought together on intimate 
terms, where they grow to know one another, 
and where they can obtain good, plain food. 
Only a few years ago the idea was prevalent 
that a great many foods had no place on the 
training-table. Sugar was ruled off. To-day 
we know that there are few dishes indeed which 
one finds on a home table that cannot be eaten 
at the training-table. We no longer abide by 
the idea which grew up from the days of Eng- 
lish prize-fighters, that an athlete must live on 
raw beef and ale, and although our training- 
tables are the direct result of the training of 
these same prize-fighters, we realize that the 
same methods are not necessary in training 
school boys and college men that were employed 
to sober down the idol of the ale-house. It is 
always dangerous to name a diet because indi- 
vidual idiosyncrasies must be considered, and 
such lists are too often taken literally. How- 
ever, it is safe to say that in moderation, all the 
common fruits and vegetables, the ordinary 
meats, the common cereals and simple pud- 
dings may play a part in the training-table diet. 



COMPETITIVE ATHLETICS 15 

So if a list is to be given, it should be some 
such as the following ; All sorts of plain soups, 
meats, fish, game, cereals, milk, butter and 
eggs ; all the green vegetables and f ruitsj sim- 
ple puddings, stewed fruits and ice-cream. 
Fried foods and pastry should be eaten only in 
small amounts, and only when most carefully 
prepared. They are harder to digest and some- 
times cause upsets. The food should be care- 
fully cooked, plentiful and of sufficient variety, 
so as not to become monotonous. Cream, but- 
ter and sugar are all desirable when used with 
discretion. It is very important that the hours 
for eating should be regular. In fact, during 
training regularity is one of the most essential 
factors — regularity in sleeping, eating and 
working. 

More important than the every-day diet list 
is the choice of menu for the day of the contest. 
The meal previous to the contest should be 
eaten two or two and a half hours before the 
event is to take place, so that there will be time 
for the food to get out of the stomach. It 
should be plain, but substantial. A good lunch 
is made up of chops, steak or broiled chicken, 
boiled rice, toast and butter. It is just as well 
not to include soups, desserts and milk before 
a contest. 

Cleanliness is all-important. Athletes are 
often upset by boils and other skin diseases, 
because they take no care to be clean. Bathing 



16 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

too little and wearing dirty clothes while ex- 
ercising are causes for skin troubles. It is 
often a source of false pride among athletes 
never to allow their athletic clothes to be 
washed. There is no excuse for this, and many 
an athlete has been upset by the resulting at- 
tack of boils, through which not only does he 
endanger himself, but may infect his team- 
mate by his carelessness. At Harvard this sort 
of infection has been greatly minimized among 
the athletes by seeing that their shirts, 
** jocks, ^' stockings, and other underclothing 
are washed at frequent intervals. Besides this, 
it is important that the clothes should be thor- 
oughly aired daily. 

The rules for training we find sane and 
simple. Regular hours of work and sleep, 
good, plain food, a minimum of excitement and 
unusual strain, a moderate amount of well- 
directed exercise. In short, we make our train- 
ing period constructive rather than destructive. 
The body should gain in weight and strength 
each day. We prohibit the use of tobacco and 
alcohol because they detract from rather than 
add to our bodily condition. The same is true 
of other stimulants. 

In conclusion, no growing boy should attempt 
an excessive amount of athletic competition. 
The boy who attempts competition at all should 
do so under the supervision of either a compe- 
tent trainer or a trained physician. His plan 



COMPETITIVE ATHLETICS 17 

of work should be carefully mapped out so as 
to provide against overdoing. With such re- 
strictions as we have laid down, harmful results 
from athletic sports will be brought to a mini- 
mum. 



FOOTBALL 



FOOTBALL: TEAM -PLAY; TYPES OF 
PLAYEES, AND RULES 

Among the English-speaking people, football 
in its various forms is probably the most popu- 
lar of all games. In Great Britain professional 
soccer attracts the widest attention, while rugby 
is played in schools and colleges. In Australia 
and New Zealand rugby is extremely popular 
both as an amateur and professional sport. In 
Canada the modified game of rugby has an es- 
tablished place in school and college seasons, 
and in America no game holds such undivided 
attention among the student body at large as 
does our intercollegiate football, while soccer 
and rugby have a strong following in certain 
localities. 

This popularity is not without its reason. No 
game so well as football combines speed, 
strength, endurance, cleverness, and quick 
thinking with the elements of personal contact, 
and no game lays such stress on the importance 
of team-play. This is particularly true in our 
American game. During its forty-odd years of 
development, there has been an increasing 
value placed on team-play, so that to-day no 
other feature is so essential to a team^s success 

21 



22 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

as its unity alike in attack and defense. There 
are many different schools of football coaching. 
There are eleven different positions on every 
team. There are innumerable details for the 
football player to fathom, but in all schools and 
in each position and in every lesson the under- 
lying current is that of team-play. The great 
coach is not necessarily he who can invent new 
and startling plays, but rather he who can teach 
his team to play as a unit. He drills his line 
to charge as one man and his backs to act with 
one another and with the line. Can there be 
anything more thrilling than a long run in a 
championship game of football, and is any ath- 
letic performer more deserving of the credit 
which falls upon him than the runner? Yet in 
every case this brilliant run belongs in equal 
measure to the linemen who have opened the 
hole and to the backs who have given interfer- 
ence or acted as decoys for the runner's pro- 
tection ; and likewise when play after play fails 
in its attempt, the failure is not that of the 
individual, as a rule, but of the machine of 
which he is a part. 

If the young reader will bear in mind this 
importance of team-play, he will gain much 
more in his study of his individual position, for 
in every case the positions are so closely woven 
together that a complete understanding of one 
involves a knowledge of the other. A center 
who learns only his own play and not that of 



FOOTBALL 23 

his quarter-back and his guard, will not fit on 
his team. The guard who is ignorant of his 
tackle's every move will find himself out of 
play. The tackle and the end must continually 
call upon one another for assistance. If the 
bond between the two is not complete, the oppo- 
nents will find the weakness. The backs must 
play in unison with one another, and with the 
line, or their efforts are futile ; and the quarter 
must reflect the whole team as he performs his 
work. It is only when team-work is perfected 
and such unity is established that a team accom- 
plishes its goal and surmounts by cooperation 
difficulties which to the individual would be im- 
possible. 

If, then, football is so dependent upon team- 
play, why is it that the types of players vary 
so? There are several reasons. First of all, 
the eleven positions offer opportunities for 
many styles of play. However, far greater 
than this is the fact that football is unlimited 
in its adaptability to the individual. Occasion- 
ally one finds a school of football in which 
making a certain type of player is an important 
part, but in the so-called new game, we find the 
leading coaches more and more adapting their 
style of play to the men with whom they are 
dealing. It often happens on a big university 
field that the plans of the entire season are 
gradually changed with the development of the 
material at hand. Instead of a running game, 



24 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

a kicking game will be developed, or the passing 
game may become the most effective attack, and 
vice versa. As a result, we see in the papers 
that this or that coach has become a strong ex- 
ponent of the kicking game and has discarded 
the running game, or that that coach has 
adopted the intricate passing game and is, as 
a result, progressive in his style of play. On 
close analysis we find that in the majority of 
instances, this change of policy is dependent on 
the ability of the men who are candidates for 
the team. A man who possesses an extraordi- 
nary kicking ability may be the cause for re- 
shaping his team^s attack; another set of men 
because of their strength in the line may lead 
to the adoption of the rushing game; a third 
group of men may possess peculiar ability in 
handling the forward pass with an equally stri- 
king result. So we find all types of men on the 
football field — short men and tall men; heavy 
men and light men — and each may be a star 
in his particular way. This very fact gives to 
the boy who is ambitious to become a football 
player his greatest encouragement. If he is 
a keen observer, he realizes that though his 
physical endowment may be less than his 
brother's he may make up for it by his skillful- 
ness or cunning, for although the game of foot- 
ball is one in which strength and endurance are 
important, they are not the only attributes nec- 
essary for good playing. 



FOOTBALL 25 

The rules of the American game have under- 
gone many changes since their first codification. 
This is particularly true of the last decade. 
The result has been that players and spectators 
alike have been somewhat confused in their in- 
terpretation of the rules. There are certain 
fundamental principles, however, which always 
have been a part of the American game of foot- 
ball, and with these principles every player 
should familiarize himself. Failure to know 
the rules may cost the team a victory. It be- 
comes the duty of every player each year to 
familiarize himself with the rule-book, and not 
only should he know the rules, but let him study 
out the reasons which underlie them. Li this 
way he will find their interpretation less diffi- 
cult and himself less often in strange situations. 
By studying the rules a boy can do more to 
make himself valuable as a football player than 
in any other single way, for he then will be less 
liable by breaking a rule to cause his team the 
loss of yards gained by hard work. In spite of 
the fact that players and coaches alike realize 
this fact, every year one sees on college and 
school football fields violations of the rules 
through nothing but ignorance. Here I shall 
endeavor only to call attention to certain points 
which are often neglected, and whose neglect 
may prove costly : 

Firstly, the rule in regard to onside play 
should be thoroughly understood. The failure 



26 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

to realize when the opponents are on-side and 
may recover a free ball has often cost a touch- 
down. The rules in regard to holding and use 
of hands are frequently neglected. The defini- 
tion of the safety and touch-back have led to 
many a long discussion. A situation which 
often arises through ignorance is the failure of 
players to realize that the umpire's horn does 
not declare the ball dead and that this preroga- 
tive belongs only to the referee. These are but 
a few of the rules more commonly neglected. 
It is not the intention here to go into detailed 
discussion of rules, but merely to impress upon 
the young player the importance of knowing 
them thoroughly. As has been said, no one 
thing will go so far toward a player's success 
as his thorough knowledge of the rules. 



MODEEN FOOTBALL AND HOW TO 
PLAY IT 

BY MICHAEL C. MUEPHY 

Theee is no reason under the sun why any 
healthy hoy should be denied the right to play 
football under the present rules. I have never 
had any sympathy with those parents who de- 
cline to let their children take part in this 
greatest of American college games, simply be- 
cause of a fear that they may be hurt. I have 
always contended that participation in the sort 
of games that require a certain amount of the 
strenuous '* give and take " spirit is good for 
the normal boy and makes better men, phys- 
ically, morally, and mentally. A boy who is 
afraid to play football because it may result 
in bruises is the sort of a boy who always will 
be afraid to take his own part. They are the 
type who come out of college *' mollycoddles," 
and we have no room for citizens of this stripe. 

New Types of Player Demanded 

There is no doubt whatever that the changes 
in the rules and the steady development of the 

27 



28 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

game itself have made it imperative that we 
have a somewhat different type of player to- 
day from what we had ten years ago. The 
abolition of the mass formations has taken 
away the premium on beef and placed it on 
brains and speed. Of course, weight and 
strength are very essential to a good football 
player, but they are totally useless unless they 
are reinforced with speed and the ability to 
think quickly. 

The forward pass emphasizes the need of a 
man who has speed and strength. When this 
play was first introduced the majority of 
coaches had a sort of good-natured contempt 
for it. They seemed to regard it as unsafe and 
of little value in advancing the ball. Conse- 
quently it was used in only one simple forma- 
tion and not enough attention was paid to the 
development of that. 

But within the last few years a wonderful 
transformation has taken place in the play. At 
last its offensive value is beginning to be under- 
stood and many new and startling formations 
are sure to be developed from it. The success- 
ful manipulation of this play demands men who 
are fast as well as strong. The tendency of the 
forward pass, I think, will be to develop forma- 
tions in which any one of four players may be 
selected to do the passing. Further, I think 
many of these plays will be executed while the 
team is on the move. It will therefore be essen- 



MODERN FOOTBALL 29 

tial that every player concerned be able to pass 
or catch the ball while in motion and under al- 
most any condition. 

The new style of play calling for speed, agil- 
ity and strength is sure to result in more care- 
ful training by players. Primarily, it is more 
essential than ever that the players master the 
rudiments of the game, such as catching the 
ball, falling on it, etc. In fact, the man who 
can handle the ball as one would a baseball is 
sure to attract the attention of his coaches at 
the start. He has acquired a big advantage 
over his rivals who have not this skill. It is no 
longer possible for a player to rest content in 
his belief that he is indispensable to the team. 
The style of game which such a man could al- 
ways play has passed. 

More Careful Training Needed 

With the improvement in the game its pop- 
ularity has increased and the fight for places 
on the big college elevens is keener than ever. 
It is not unusual now for a big university to 
have enough men for two elevens, almost 
evenly matched. Two players not infrequently 
work throughout almost an entire season before 
the coaches are able to determine which is the 
better fitted for the position. It is for this rea- 
son that a player who hopes to secure a place 
on his team ought to present himself in pretty 



30 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

fair condition. The season is so short that the 
man who reports over-weight and soft is likely 
to find himself hopelessly distanced by the time 
the season is under way. 

In this connection .players should be cau- 
tioned not to allow themselves to be over- 
trained before the season actually starts. I 
have frequently seen players who, either from 
their anxiety to be in proper shape or a fear 
that otherwise they might not make the team, 
worked a whole summer and then presented 
themselves at the beginning of the season 
under-weight and in no condition to stand the 
hard training required of them. 

As a result they fell by the wayside before 
the season was half over and were of even less 
value to the coaching staff than men who went 
to the other extreme. The ideal system is for 
the candidates to do just enough hard work 
playing baseball, tennis or swimming to present 
themselves without too much fat, but in condi- 
tion to work themselves into pretty fair shape 
without being weakened by the process. 

Inter scholastic Football 

Many times I have been asked what steps 
should be taken to control interscholastic foot- 
ball and club games to the end that injuries 
might be reduced. I state without hesitation 
that the authorities of schools and athletic clubs 



MODERN FOOTBALL 31 

are guilty of gross negligence and are really to 
blame for most of the injuries. This is because 
they either permit boys to play the game with- 
out having had the proper training or allow 
games between two teams that are hopelessly 
unequal. What else can be expected if a boy 
weighing 130 pounds is pitted against a man 
with an advantage of from 25 to 50 pounds in 
weight and four or five years in experience? 
Under these circumstances injuries are bound 
to occur. 

There is also an inexcusable lack of precau- 
tion displayed, when men and boys are allowed 
to continue in the game when exhausted, or 
after being injured. I have been associated 
with football almost from its inception in this 
country. Years ago the sport was far rougher 
than it is to-day. Since that time our big uni- 
versities have not only eliminated many of the 
rougher features of the game, but they have 
surrounded the players with many safeguards. 
Those who are constantly criticising our col- 
lege football would do well to consider the fact 
that at the six leading colleges of the East: 
Yale, Pennsylvania, Princeton, Cornell, Har- 
vard, and Dartmouth, football has not, so far as 
I can recall, ever resulted in a fatal accident. 
I call attention to this to show what can be done 
to make the game safe. 

I am not disposed to deny that football is a 
rough game. But when cleanly played, as it 



32 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

is in our big colleges, and when properly safe- 
guarded, the element of danger is almost en- 
tirely eliminated. It is only when the minor 
colleges ignore the precautions that the big uni- 
versities take, when they play injured and un- 
trained men, that we hear of such fatal acci- 
dents. 

I take very little stock in most of the statis- 
tics of college football accidents. Many of 
them are totally inaccurate, some without any 
foundation whatever, and nearly all of them 
exaggerated. It is a well known fact that more 
people are killed automobiling in a week than 
in football games in years. What would some 
mothers think if they were told that they risked 
more danger to their lives in shopping during 
Christmas holidays, than did their sons by 
playing football? It is a fact, nevertheless, 
and capable of ready proof. 

These perennial agitations against football 
are to be deplored. If the football Rules Com- 
mittee could be permitted to study over the 
problems that come up and study out reforms 
as they are needed, the game would work out 
its own salvation. It does little good for agita- 
tors to raise a great howl every time an acci- 
dent occurs, and then insist that radical 
changes be made forthwith in the rules. These 
people by such measures really defeat their 
own object and hinder, rather than help, the 
purification of football. 



MODERN FOOTBALL 33 

A Good Training Diet 

Every fall I am asked a great many times to 
name a good training diet for football players 
and other athletes. For a period extending 
over nearly twenty-five years I have made ex- 
periments in dieting athletes, and have also 
studied the results of experiments on myself. 
This subject of diet has gone through a good 
many stages. A great many cranks have writ- 
ten concerning it, and there is an idea in some 
quarters that to be a successful football player 
one must eat certain food. We are getting 
away from such foolish notions now, and get- 
ting back to nature. 

I always insist, first of all, that the diet shall 
be as plain as possible, with enough nourish- 
ment to keep the men strong. It should never 
be forgotten that the stomach is the most im- 
portant factor in condition. Yet I have known 
football players and other athletes to invite in- 
digestion by taking large dishes of oatmeal with 
cream and coffee. This causes more indiges- 
tion than any other dish I know. Fresh fruits 
should also be partaken of sparingly, or they 
will disturb the digestive process. 

The best training table diet that I know of 
consists of the following: 

Breakfast: One chop (sometimes two) or 
eight ounces of beef, two soft-boiled eggs, one 
baked potato, toast or bread, milk or mild tea ; 



34 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

prunes or apple-sauce (no cream or sugar 
added). 

Dinner: Eoast beef, lamb, mutton or fowl, 
boiled or mashed potato, vegetables and fruits 
in season. Boiled rice and milk, or cornmeal 
musb. A light pudding, milk or tea, toast and 
bread. 

Supper: Cold meat, roast beef, lamb, mutton 
or fowl, one small steak, one potato, toast or 
fresh Graham bread, prunes, apple-sauce or 
baked apple, milk or mild tea. 

If a man is over- weight and wants to reduce 
flesh he should refrain from drinking milk, for 
this is one of the most fattening foods there are. 
It is also injurious to the wind, and should be 
taken with judgment. In case it is impossible 
to have a training table, athletes should not be 
worried. The diet I have given is as good as 
can be secured, but if care is exercised an 
equally good diet can be secured at one's own 
home. What the athlete should be most careful 
about is to chew his food well, eat nothing dif- 
ficult to digest, and always keep the stomach in 
good order. This can usually be done with any 
simple diet selected. 



TEAINING FOR THE TEAM 

BY DE. ALVIN C. KRAENZLEIN 

Years ago when it was said that a man was 
going into training, people conjured up a pro- 
gram of some grilling sort of life, hampered by 
countless rules which could not be violated 
without impairing the success of the process. 
That idea prevails to-day with some who are 
not familiar with the life of an athlete, but it is 
almost needless to say that it is a far-fetched 
misconception. 

To be sure, young men in training live in a 
different manner from what they do when out 
of training; they are forced to obey certain 
general rules ; they follow a fairly well-defined 
program. But, when all is considered, every- 
thing looked over and weighed carefully, train- 
ing consists of just one thing — good living. 

There was a time when the life of an active 
athlete was narrow and hard. But that time is 
past. New ideas have replaced the old and to- 
day training merely means that a man is taking 
the best of care of himself, both mentally and 
physically; that he gives heed to the rules of 

35 



36 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

hygiene and that he does not abuse the gifts 
of nature. 

It would be a difficult matter to draw up any 
program that men could follow while in ath- 
letics, especially in football. In track, each man 
has his specialty and must do certain things in 
order to bring about the best results. Although 
individuals do these things in a different way 
and with varying degrees of intensity they fol- 
low the same general line. The same is true of 
basket-ball, while in baseball very definite rules 
can be laid down. But football includes so 
many phases of physical and mental activity 
that any set of regulations compiled for the 
direction of the training of a football squad 
would be quite useless. 

Here the individual must be carefully stud- 
ied. Some men need development along certain 
lines ; need to be urged on in some particular 
activities and held back in others. No two bod- 
ies are alike ; no two hearts perform their func- 
tion in exactly the same manner; science has 
never found a pair of lungs that exactly dupli- 
cated another; stomachs are all different; mus- 
cles and tendons vary greatly. All these things 
must be taken into consideration, and careful 
consideration, too. 

It would be impossible to say at what age a 
boy is strong enough to play the gridiron game. 
We cannot reckon strength by age in human 
beings. Some boys are sturdy and strong, pos- 



TRAINING FOR THE TEAM 37 

sessed of good lungs and hearts, well-muscled, 
strong-limbed, when they are fifteen years old. 
Others are physically immature at twenty ; and 
there are those by the thousand, who never at- 
tain the physical strength necessary to permit 
them to play football with any degree of suc- 
cess and without endangering their own health 
and, perhaps, their life. 

Football is a man's game. It is a game for 
those who can stand the physical punishment 
of men, and a game for those who can think 
quickly and clearly, as men think. It is not a 
game for poorly developed youngsters. They 
cannot play it in that stage; they may overdo 
if they attempt to play it and spoil any oppor- 
tunity that they may have of playing football 
in the future. 

Every fall hundreds of boys' teams are or- 
ganized all over the country. There are the 
school teams, the club teams and the independ- 
ent organizations. I believe that few of the 
latter ever do the players any good ; I mean by 
this that they do not tend to make the boys 
better players of football to any appreciable 
degree, merely because they are not, as a rule, 
supervised by competent instructors. School 
teams, in the majority of cases, have some su- 
pervision, and by playing on them or following 
them closely the average boy can learn much of 
the game. 

But when you are playing on a team of boys 



38 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

you should always endeavor to keep within 
your sphere; that is, you should play against 
boys. Don't aspire to too much glory and at- 
tempt to compete against teams made up of 
players who are bigger, older and stronger than 
you are. That is one of the grave dangers of 
football and should not be tolerated by the man- 
agement of any eleven. 

I do not mean to infer by this that little 
fellows can safely play football against teams 
which compare favorably in weight and age. 
Although the knocks they might get would not 
ordinarily be dangerous, their hearts may not 
be able to stand the strain of competition that, 
to the outsider, appears to be exceedingly light. 
The fact that no boy can safely play football 
until his body is well developed cannot be put 
too strongly. Judgment in regard to this re- 
mains up to the boy himself and to his father 
or his physician. 

Another thing that must be considered is the 
fact that sixty minutes of playing, in spite of 
the three intermissions, is a long time. A team 
of boys can easily be conceived who could play 
half that time without trouble and without tax- 
ing themselves too severely, while any attempt 
on their part to play sixty minutes of football 
would be foolhardy. 

Do not attempt to overdo. That is the one 
warning that must be sounded by every man 
and boy who is interested in football. Study 



TRAINING FOR THE TEAM 39 

the game, begin your work gradually, learn to 
handle a ball, know mistakes when you see them 
and try to find your way out of difficult situa- 
tions that you may imagine. But do not over- 
tax your strength. To be a successful player 
on a big college eleven takes years of training, 
and the sooner you boys begin to study the 
game the better prepared you will be to play 
it when the times comes. But do not think that 
just because you are not wearing a uniform and 
exerting yourself until your heart pounds 
against your ribs that you are not progressing. 
Many a man has learned enough football from 
the side-lines to put him on a par with those 
who have been in the game for years, just 
because he has not abused his body and is ready 
to go into a game with a sound heart, deep 
lungs, and strong limbs ; and, knowing the game 
as he does, he can outstrip the fellow who began 
playing football too early and has called upon 
some of his organs to do more than their work. 

So much for that. 

When you commence your training do not 
attempt to do it all at once. Go at it gradually. 
Some men could jump right into the middle of 
a season, scrimmage the first day, run, kick, 
pass, and charge without suffering any lasting 
ill effects. But most players cannot do that. 
When they have been out of training for 
months their muscles become soft and they 
must build them up by careful, patient work. 



40 * THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

In the first place, it is necessary to spend 
some time at the beginning of every football 
season in practising the rudiments of the game. 
No man can properly pass or kick without prac- 
tice and until he can do those things he cer- 
tainly cannot play the game. So if you devote 
the first few days to that sort of activity you 
will be undergoing a necessary part of your 
preparation and, at the same time, avoid many 
dangers. To be sure, stiffness and minor in- 
juries will arise from even this light work, but 
they can be guarded against to a certain extent. 
If the weather be warm, do not load yourself 
down with too much clothing. As soon as you 
have finished your daily practice — which 
should not be too long for the first few days; 
a couple of hours is enough — take a cold 
shower, or, better still, if conditions permit it, 
take a plunge in some stream or body of water. 
Do not enter the water in an overheated condi- 
tion, because such a thing is apt to bring about 
bad results. 

It will be well to watch your ankles during 
these first few days. A turned ankle early in 
the season has put many a good man out of the 
game for weeks. If your ankles are weak, bind 
them up comfortably with bandages. Also 
watch your feet carefully. In hot weather 
heavy football shoes and coarse stockings often 
blister feet. Keep any chafed parts bound up 
in cotton and adhesive tape while you are work- 



TRAINING FOR THE TEAM 41 

ing. Wash them often and apply any of the 
numerous healing preparations that are com- 
monly known to athletes. 

Stiffness is to be expected. No man has ever 
trained for football and avoided it entirely. 
The bath will help alleviate this discomfort 
and, if possible, have a rub-down after your 
work-out. . There is almost as much in the rub- 
bing itself as in the preparation applied, of 
which there are many equally good. 

After the first soreness has worn off you will 
be ready for harder work. While you have 
been mastering the art of passing and kicking 
and running through signal practice you will 
find that your wind has improved steadily. To 
my mind, road work — that is, merely jogging 
across country — is unnecessary in training for 
football. Most men get all the running that 
they can stand in their signal practice and, in 
reality, they are doing two things at once : mas- 
tering their style of play and building up their 
wind. But take to this harder work gradually. 
Do not jump into it at once. Remember that 
football is a hard game and that the season is 
long and that you must build a firm foundation 
for your condition in the last few days, which 
are, in most cases, the all-important ones. Take 
things gradually. Make your first scrimmages 
short and you will profit in the end. 

Here again we can draw no sharp lines. Some 
men are ready for hard work two weeks after 



42 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

they commence training; others will require a 
month to enable them to stand the strain. It all 
depends on your own strength. Don't overtax 
that strength. That cannot be said too 
often. 

When the hard work of the season is at hand, 
when you are playing weekly games and scrim- 
maging four or five afternoons between games, 
running signals and chasing punts, you must 
watch yourself with all care. Don't stick to the 
cold bath at this time. Take a warm shower 
after every work-out. It will help take out the 
soreness and, above all, will keep the pores open 
and allow free exit to all the waste material 
that your body is continually throwing off. Use 
soap; keep clean. It is an essential to training. 
The rub-down has now become an exceedingly 
important part of your training. Do not neg- 
lect it if you can possibly have one. It is not 
necessary to be rubbed down by another. You 
can do it yourself if you will take the time. 
Keep the muscles of your limbs, shoulders, and 
back well massaged. 

And now we will take up the eating. This is, 
as every one knows, one of the problems of 
training. But what you eat isn't such a big 
problem as is the one of proper preparation 
and proper eating. There are few forms of 
food that are injurious if properly cooked ; but 
no form of food will do you much good unless 
it is properly eaten. Do not allow food to go 



TRAINING FOR THE TEAM 43 

down to your stomach until it is made ready 
by proper chewing. 

Plenty of eggs and milk ; beef, chops, roasts, 
will all help you. Keep away from fried meats. 
Food fried in heavy fat is likely to upset your 
stomach, and when that organ is not working as 
it should no man can be at his best. As for 
vegetables — well, almost any fresh vegetable, 
properly prepared, will help you. Luckily, the 
football season is at that time of the year when 
fresh vegetables are obtainable. 

The desserts should be light. Custards and 
light puddings will hurt no one, but I would ad- 
vise keeping away from rich dishes and pies. 
A soggy pie-crust is well nigh indigestible. Eat 
plenty of fruit, but do not gorge yourself on it. 
Excess of any kind is dangerous. 

It is best to let tea and coffee entirely alone, 
but if you have been accustomed to drink such 
beverages do not cut them off suddenly, for 
such will have a worse effect than their con- 
tinued use. And while we are dealing with 
drinking it might be well to warn against too 
great a consumption of water. Do not drink 
with your meals, of all things. Drink before 
and after, if you will, but let it alone while you 
are actually eating. Do not drink while you are 
practising or overheated. If your mouth and 
throat get dry, take a swallow of water, but 
don't drink like a thirsty horse. Too much 
water will ruin your wind. 



44 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

Eat slowly. Chew your food well. Your 
stomach has a certain important function to 
perform and you are supposed to help it in 
every possible way. Thorough mastication is 
the greatest aid you can give your digestive ap- 
paratus. The man who bolts his meals will find 
that his stomach will not endure the strain very 
long and when he cannot properly nourish his 
system then is the time when he cannot play 
football. 

I take for granted that any boy in athletics 
knows that tobacco and alcohol are to be ta- 
booed. No matter how strong you may be, you 
can not summon all your strength in the time of 
need if your throat and lungs are irritated with 
tobacco smoke or if your stomach and intestines 
are irritated by alcohol. Let tobacco and drink 
alone. They are the biggest handicaps that an 
athlete can have put on him. 

Sleep regularly and soundly. You can do 
this by training yourself to keep your mind off 
certain subjects. If you become so deeply en- 
grossed in football that you think of it while in 
bed you may not sleep. This you must not do, 
because sleep is an essential. When you are 
ready to crawl in for the night forget every- 
thing. Don't worry about your own standing 
on your team or the welfare of the eleven. By 
so doing you will only be impairing your effi- 
ciency and the efficiency of the eleven. Get 
eight hours of good, sound sleep every night at 



TRAINING FOR THE TEAM 45 

the very least. And don't take this all after 
midnight. Retire early in the evening if pos- 
sible and be out early in the morning. Have all 
the air that you can get in your sleeping-apart- 
ments. If you sleep in a close room it will have 
a bad effect, while a good sleep in pure air is 
doubly invigorating. 

Do not think about football all the time. Of 
course, it is the natural thing to do, but you will 
find that by diverting your attention you will 
avoid that nervousness which sometimes comes 
to football players and which makes them hesi- 
tate in tight places. You cannot hesitate in 
football. The game has changed so greatly in 
the last few years that it takes a different type 
of man to succeed on the gridiron from that of 
a decade ago. The big football men of to-day 
are of alert minds. They can foresee what will 
be the result of some little action and they will 
be on hand either to aid or repulse that action. 
This requires instantaneous thought and action. 
Punting has grown to be such a big factor in 
football that better eyes are required. It takes 
a good eye to judge a punted ball. 

Your mind will be active, your nerves will be 
steady, and your eye will be clear if you live 
well and think well. Let me repeat: do not 
overdo, but be content to accomplish a little at 
a time; keep your body clean; eat good food 
and eat carefully ; keep away from tobacco and 
alcohol; sleep well; don't worry; don't keep 



46 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

your mind too closely on football, but when you 
do think, think hard. And when you get into 
a game, throw every ounce of energy into the 
fight. Don't be foolish, but don't quit. Foolish 
players who take foolish risks and men who quit 
do not win football games. 



THE NEW FOOTBALL A GAME FOR 
THINKERS 

BY FIELDING H. YOST 

Football has been changed ; changed for the 
spectator, and changed for the player. The 
former sees an open, running game ; the latter 
is forced to think faster than ever before and 
must be able to cope with many new and novel 
situations that are bound to arise. 

The game as it is played under the new rules 
is a game for strategists, for thinkers. The boy 
or man who cannot think quickly and reason 
clearly cannot hope to play football success- 
fully. 

The forward pass has become a great factor 
in football within the last two or three years. 
The rule revision has done much to make its 
use more effective and I believe that it will be 
the principal form of attack. In the first place, 
the old mass play is gone absolutely and some- 
thing must take its place. The ruling which 
prohibits the pulling or pushing of men, coupled 
with 'that which demands that the team on 
offense have seven men on the line, has made 
the mass play all but an impossibility. This 

47 



48 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

is obvious. Suppose that an eleven should at- 
tempt to direct a mass play on guard. What 
would they do ? The only thing that they could 
do would be to send three of the backfield play- 
ers crashing into the line and let the man with 
the ball follow them, trusting to the possibility 
that those before him could open a hole. The 
yards that were made by mass plays were not 
made in this way. They were made because the 
player who carried the ball was dragged into 
the line and then pushed forward by others on 
his team. That is an impossibility now. 

Let us see what has been done to encourage 
the use of the forward pass. In the first place 
it can now be thrown over any point in the line. 
That is a great improvement, because many 
forward passes were declared illegal by officials 
who did not think that they crossed the line 
five yards to one side of the spot on which the 
ball rested when. put in play. Again, the pen- 
alty has been changed for an incompleted for- 
ward pass. When the ball touched the ground 
before being touched by a player a few years 
ago, it cost the offending team a penalty of 
fifteen long yards. This was very discour- 
aging. But now the penalty is much lighter 
and captains can afford to take the chance 
more often. 

Greater accuracy is required of centers. 
Many balls have to be passed at an angle, and 
it requires a vast amount of steady, sincere 



FOOTBALL A GAME FOR THINKERS 49 

endeavor on the part of a man playing center 
to do this accurately. The man who is to play 
center cannot have too much practice in pass- 
ing. 

The trick play, the cunning generalship, the 
taking advantage of openings that are only of 
an instant's duration will be the means of win- 
ning football games from now on. The ar- 
rangement of the backs will help deceive the 
men who are on the defensive. The direct pass 
has so quickened the game that a man waiting 
to break up a play has little opportunity to find 
which way it is going until it is actually in 
progress. 

The elimination of the mass play makes it 
possible to draw from the primary defense and 
build a stronger secondary defense. The line 
need not be as strong as it once was because 
it does not have to bear the strain that it once 
did. On the other hand, the secondary defense 
must be stronger because it is on these men, 
who are placed in a way that makes it possible 
for them to shift easily and quickly, that the 
responsibility of breaking up open plays rests. 

It is a faster game and a better game; 
also, it is a safer game. The serious injur- 
ies that befell men while playing football were, 
in my opinion, brought on by exhaustion, with 
only a few exceptions. For this reason I think 
that the division of the game into four periods 
does more than any other one thing to bring 



50 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

about safer conditions. The men have an op- 
portunity to rest every fifteen minutes. Even 
though this rest period be a minute, it is enough 
to freshen a man up. Besides, this new game 
involves so many penalties that a man has time 
to rest while the officials are working. In the 
game that was played a half-dozen years ago 
the penalties were few and far between. It 
was a steady grind with little chance to rest 
and it was the sort of a thing to wear men down. 
That has all changed, however, and any normal 
man who is in good condition should be able 
to stand the labor that is involved in playing 
a game of football. The opportunities for re- 
substituting men also help greatly. Many 
coaches were tempted to leave a good man 
in the game despite the fact that he had played 
until he was not capable of protecting himself. 
They were so tempted because they knew that 
if they once called him to the side-lines they 
could not send him in again. As it now stands, 
they can take this man out and then return him 
later in the game. The prohibiting of body 
blocking on forward passes and kicks, and the 
passing of mass plays will also do much to 
eliminate danger. On the whole, the game 
under the revised rules should be such that it 
will endanger no life or limb. 

Football is a game only for those who study 
it. No man can play it who does not study 
its various phases and place himself in every 



FOOTBALL A GAME FOR THINKERS 51 

situation that his imagination can conjure up. 
It is a game for thinkers. The boy who is not 
sincere, determined, and possessed of the right 
sort of fighting spirit cannot excel in football. 



FOOTBALL GENERALSHIP: THE CAP- 
TAIN AND THE QUARTER -BACK 

Generalship in football falls under three 
heads, first the planning and manoenvering of 
plays and men by the coach or coaches, sec- 
ondly, the leadership of the captain, and 
thirdly, the actual selection of plays by the 
player, usually the quarter-back, who is chosen 
to direct the plan of attack and defense. Of 
the first nothing will be said, as this book is 
written for players rather than coaches. 

Successful captains may differ widely in 
personality, ability as players, and in their 
methods of leading, and yet there are certain 
characteristics, which are common to all good 
leaders. If a captain has a strong personality 
and is a man of deeds' and action, it will go a 
long way in gaining the confidence of his men, 
but even men who possess these attributes may 
fail as captains if they do not possess certain 
other qualifications. Some captains find suc- 
cess by driving their men, others by leading, 
but the great captain, whether he leads or 
drives, must always be sure of his ground. A 
certain amount of self-assurance and assertive- 
ness is essential; pig-headedness is sure to be 
detrimental. Above all, a captain must keep 

52 



FOOTBALL GENERALSHIP 53 

his head, be cool, and always master of the 
situation. A quick temper is always a handi- 
cap to a leader. 

In planning his season, the captain should 
remember that it is a long strenuous siege, and 
realize that if he begins at once to assert him- 
self to the limit, his influence by the time the 
big games come will have worn off its effective- 
ness. It is wise, therefore, to start slowly, and 
in the early developmental period of the team 
try to guide and mould the organization rather 
than attempt to drive. At this period it is bet- 
ter for the captain to say little on the field of 
play and have that little count. A word of 
encouragement is always in order, criticism 
and sarcasm rarely accomplish the ends to 
which they are directed. Many of the best 
captains often stand somewhat aloof from their 
men during the early season and, if not carried 
too far, this often adds to the respect in which 
their men regard them. 

As the important games draw near, the cap- 
tain should take his players to his heart, so to 
speak. Then more than ever should he make 
his presence, on the field and off, felt by his 
men. Encouragement is helpful, and at times a 
sharp word of command addressed to the whole 
team may add to the esprit de corps. Individ- 
ual criticism is always unpleasant, and a dan- 
gerous implement. 

In regard to the choosing of the plays, the 



54 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

captain should usually not interfere with the 
quarter-back, who is specially trained in this 
work. However, the captain should himself 
have studied the plays and be able to detect 
the errors in his quarter. In this way, without 
openly interfering, he may often show the quar- 
ter-back a new opportunity, or even correct his 
mistake. 

To the quarter-back falls the big task of pilot- 
ing the team in its entire offensive play. He 
chooses the style of attack. If his team comes 
off the field without having used its strongest 
plays and used them correctly, he must bear 
the brunt of the blame. The quarter-back's 
position is important and arduous, and no place 
demands such careful and persistent training, 
for not only must he play his own individual 
part well but he must plot and plan for the 
whole eleven that they may put forth their best 
and strongest front. 

The play of the quarter-back may be divided 
into four large headings. First, the handling 
of the ball. Second, the handling of the plays. 
Third, the handling of the team on the offense. 
Fourth, the play on the defense. Under the 
first and last headings come his own individual 
play, while under the second and third fall his 
part as field general for the team. 

In handling the ball, the quarter should be 
sure there are no fumbles. He pays attention, 
first, to getting the ball from the center. There 



FOOTBALL GENERALSHIP 55 

should be perfect coordination between these 
two, as a fumble here means that the play called 
for will not be run off successfully. The quar- 
ter stands with his hands and arms well under 
the center, forming three baskets with them, 
the first with his hands, the second with the 
bend in his arms at the elbow — the elbows 
being held close together — and the third 
formed by the hands, arms, stomach and knees 
combined. The ball should be handled in the 
first basket, but the other two are maintained 
so as to make doubly sure there are no fumbles. 
In getting the ball and in passing it to his backs, 
the quarter should work low and at top speed 
so that the opponents will have as little chance 
as possible to see where the ball is going. As 
a further means of baffling the opponents, he 
learns to assume a varying position each time 
he crouches under the center, so that his stance 
shall not give the play away. 

In passing the ball to the backs, the quarter 
faces a difficult task. His work must be so 
clean and clever that the back does not have 
to slow up or even think where the ball is com- 
ing from. Especially is this true on line plunges 
where the distance is short and speed must be 
gained instantly. The quarter has to pass very 
rapidly or the back will have plunged by and 
the opening be lost. On such plays the quarter 
tucks the ball into the basket which the back 
forms with his hands and stomach and holds 



56 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

it there until he is sure no fumble can come. 
This pass mnst be quick but not too hard. On 
end-plays the pass need not be made so quickly 
but the accuracy is even more important as the 
pass is longer and if the back has to stoop or 
reach to get the ball, he will surely lose speed. 
As was said before, the ability to hold on to 
the ball and not fumble is the first requisite 
of quarter-back play. 

While no boy who fumbles continually will 
ever be chosen for the quarter-back position, 
there are many who handle the ball well but 
do not possess the ability to handle their plays 
successfully. On this one point may depend the 
final choice in a close competition of men. 
What, then, are some of the points for the 
quarter to remember in choosing plays? First 
of all, he should never lose the ball on downs. 
Instead let him get the full price of it, which 
means the distance his best kicker can punt, or 
if it be near the opponent's goal, try for a goal. 
In choosing plays he should always consider the 
score, the time left to play, whether the wind is 
with him or against, and whether the sun makes 
the catching of punts difficult or not. All of 
these points have often won and lost games. 
The quarter-back should know his men and use 
them to the best advantage. Thus he should 
not tire out a good line-plunger by making him 
run the end when he has a better man for that 
purpose in his backfield. 




HANDIilNa BALL IK BACK-FIELD. NOTE POSITION OF QUAETER-BACK, 
HOW HE HOLJ)S THE BALL, AND THE "BASKET" WHICH THE HALF- 
BACK MAKES TO KECEIVE THE BALL. HARVARD-INDIAN GAME, 1911. 




HARVARD FOOTBALL MEN PRACTISING TACKLING DUMMIES AT 
SOLDIERS FIELD, CAMBRIDGE. 



QUARTEIl-BACK PLAY, AND TACKLING 



FOOTBALL GENERALSHIP 57 

In choosing the play and the formation for 
play, the quarter should study the opponents 
carefully, looking for weak spots in the line 
or openings in the backfield. The position of 
the opponents in the line-up is very important. 
An experienced lineman on his team may often 
be of great aid in giving the quarter informa- 
tion as to the weak points in the opponent's 
line as well as the strong ones. Then he should 
have his plays so well learned that he can group 
them in his mind and be able to attack a point 
in several different ways. He should know his 
scoring plays, his strong running plays, and his 
gambling plays, and when to use each kind to its 
best advantage. If the score is six to nothing 
against him and there is a minute to play, a 
good quarter is not going to waste the time 
trying to plunge through the line from midfieid 
to the goal line but instead he will try one of 
his gambling plays. Or if he be ahead with 
the same conditions, he will know enough to 
play safe and not use a gambling play. 

The kicking game should be thoroughly mas- 
tered and used to the limit. In doing this the 
quarter should bear in mind his position in the 
field. The side-lines and the goal-lines are im- 
portant. Then, too, the kicker should be well 
guarded by the skillful use of fake kicks. In all 
kicking the quarter should do his part in pro- 
tecting by blocking an opponent. 

A good quarter never uses the forward pass 



58 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

except when he is willing to take a chance, as it 
may prove a boomerang. The pass is an essen- 
tial to modern football and the team which has 
not perfected it, is not going to win many 
games, but its unguarded use is dangerous. 
Every pass should be well covered, so that if it 
goes wrong it will not result disastrously. In 
the opponent's territory, not in his own, is the 
time for the quarter to call for the forward 
pass. In approaching the opponent's goal line 
he always uses the strongest plays on first 
down and makes them go. He gathers his team 
before the attack and drives them into the play 
at top speed. 

No quarter is good until he is an actor to 
such an extent that he can fool his opponents 
by his eyes and his actions. This is a little 
point, but little points must be mastered by the 
great quarter-back. 

In handling the team the quarter must have 
absolute command. He can only do this by 
gaining the entire confidence of his team, and 
his attitude and the character of his voice will 
do much in accomplishing this. Never should 
he become discouraged or captious. Never let 
things lag, but always be alert and eager. In- 
stil in all the team a spirit of unity and action. 

When his team is on the defense, the quarter- 
back usually plays in the backfield, and from 
a casual glance one would say that he had little 
to do save catch punts when they came to him. 



FOOTBALL GENERALSHIP 59 

This would be enough in many games but it 
is far from all the quarterns duty at this time. 
First of all he must study the opponents and 
think and plan out the attack he is to start when 
his team gets the ball again. Then he must be 
in constant touch with his team to encourage 
or to warn of a weakness. Often he can fore- 
tell a play from his removed position better 
than the men in close. As the play develops, 
he should run up to give support to his team, 
keeping the runner between himself and the 
side-lines, so that he can either tackle him or 
drive him out of bounds. He is the last line 
of defense and must play it safe. Oftentimes 
by advancing he can save his team ten or fif- 
teen yards. Or again he may be able to inter- 
cept a long forward pass. As the opponents 
approach his goal line, the quarter closes in and 
gives more active support, always guarding, 
particularly against passes, wide end runs or 
trick plays. 

In catching kicks, the quarter is all-impor- 
tant. Poor handling of kicks in the back-field 
has cost many a good team the game. Here, 
too, the quarter is in command and calls direc- 
tions as to who shall catch the ball, calling as 
well when he, himself, essays the task. In 
catching a kick, the first point is to get under 
the ball fast, concentrating all attention on the 
ball. The catcher should never be set but al- 
ways ready to move with the ball. It is best 



60 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

to raise the hands well and catch the ball on 
the chest, grasping it tightly the instant it 
strikes. In running in the kick, always remem- 
ber that a step ahead is ground gained, while 
a step to the side is time lost. However, a suc- 
cessful runner uses all the wiles of dodging, 
side-stepping, and reversing, but always goes 
ahead fast when the chance comes. A good 
point to remember is that when pressed hard, a 
fair catch is good policy, for the ball safe is far 
better than the chance of a short run back with 
a possible fumble. 



HOW TO PLAY CENTBE 

BY HENEY H. KETGHAM 

In writing on the center position I may be 
inclined to give it undue importance and at the 
outset I want to say that there is not any one 
player that is going to make the team a good 
one. Most people will consider the backfield 
positions the most important ones to fill, and of 
these, that of the quarter-back probably the 
most difficult one. This is in a measure true, 
and a good quarter-back is essential for suc- 
cess, but in looking over the other positions, 
forming the backfield and the line, it seems to 
me that they are both absolutely essential and 
a good backfield with a poor line is helpless. 

Too generally the idea prevails that the back- 
field men alone have responsible positions. 
They do have the most spectacular parts, and 
too often the line is absolutely lost sight of. 
Plays that do not bring all eleven men into 
them are usually discarded by the coaches. 
Every man has something to do in every play 
and the man, no matter who he is, who is not 

61 



62 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

doing Ms particular part in every play, is apt 
to spoil that play, and when only three downs 
were allowed for ten yards this was a serious 
handicap. 

The point which a Minnesota coach used to 
lay most stress on was that every time a man 
was tackled in practice or in a game the rest 
of the team should find out ^* who got him,*' 
and whose fault it was, and see that the same 
thing was not repeated. 

Great size is not essential to modern foot- 
ball, but any boy with a fairly good physique 
to start on may build himself up by winter work 
when others are wasting time in idleness. I 
know of several fellows who barely made a 
school team but who, nevertheless, kept work- 
ing right ahead every winter and working hard 
to develop their bodies, and ended by making 
the university team. 

Some years back the center position had 
nothing like the responsibilities that are now 
attached to it. In the old games it was quite 
essential for a player to be big and heavy. 
Ordinarily the largest man was put in that posi- 
tion. Then his work was simple. His only 
duty was to be able to pass the ball reliably to 
two places, namely, the quarter-back, and the 
long pass for the kick. On the defense the cen- 
ter generally played in the line and was respon- 
sible only for the little patch of ground that he 
would ordinarily cover. 



HOW TO PLAY CENTER 63 

The Center's Responsibility 

Now, in the present game, a heavy man can 
still be used but is not essential, and a heavy 
man without speed is useless. A center to-day 
has to be wide-awake for all emergencies. No 
longer are the passes restricted to two persons. 
A center may have a dozen passes to make now 
when formations are so numerous and in all 
these passes a center has to use his head and 
help his backs. 

On a run around end if the ball comes back 
a little bit behind the man who is to carry it 
the play may be delayed a fraction of a second 
and that moment may be vital to the success of 
the play. For end plays a center can greatly 
aid the speed of his backs by passing the ball 
just far enough ahead of them to make them 
run hard for it. It is also quite necessary to 
be able to pass the ball in the same spot, as it 
is the little things that are going to aid the 
backfield materially. 

For the last few years the majority of cen- 
ters have played out of the lines on the defense, 
when the other side is going to kick. This 
greatly aids the center who is going to pass. 
He ceases to worry about charging his opponent 
and has a free opening to go down the field 
under a punt. On the offense, then, watch your 
passes, but after that is done follow the ball. 
On a kick your place is down with the ends; 



64 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

on a mass play or end run get in the inter- 
ference. 

On the defensive, too, the possibilities for the 
center position are much greater than ever. 
The little plot of ground which the old center 
used to cover is the smallest part of the duty 
that the new game requires. Here speed is 
required more than ever. A center is respon- 
sible for end runs, for forward passes, for 
blocking off men going down the field under 
kicks, and for handling his individual opponent 
in his own little bit of territory. 

A center should stand two or three yards 
behind the scrimmage where he will be able to 
size up a play by the time it reaches the scrim- 
mage line. As soon as the play is seen to be 
an end run the defensive center should have 
time to get out there as soon as the man with 
the ball, and, with the help of the end, ought 
to drive the man to the side-lines, or get him 
if he tries to run in. This style of play made 
the Yale center of 1910 great, and in the Yale- 
Harvard game this man made nearly half of 
the tackles, either getting the runner from be- 
hind, or helping the end. 

Stopping Forward Passes 

In forward passing the center ought to be 
able to get a pretty good idea as to when this 
play is going to be attempted. Football is a 



HOW TO PLAY CENTER 65 

game of brains and it consists in trying to out- 
wit the opponents. In one Princeton-Harvard 
game Harvard tried a forward pass. Blumen- 
thal, the center, who is a short man, did not rush 
in, but from behind the scrimmage line, diag- 
nosed the play and when the pass was made 
he intercepted it. Such a play is not a lucky 
one but is a matter of figuring out what the 
other team will do, and a thoughtful player can 
often decide pretty accurately when a certain 
play is coming. Quarter-backs often give away 
the play they are planning to use by a glance 
or a change in position. The difference in pos- 
ture of a backfield man, be it ever so slight, may 
serve as a pointer as to what play is going to 
be used. 

On a third down, when there is still some dis- 
tance to gain, and a kick is inevitable, a center 
will often fall back six or seven yards toward 
his own goal. On a good team the center men 
have very little chance to break through and 
block a kick and the only advantage in staying 
in the line is to bother the opposing snapper- 
back. This annoys a good center but little, and 
so a man can be of much more use in blocking 
off a man running down the field and help save 
his own backs in catching punts. With three 
backfield men and the center helping to protect 
the man who is catching the punt, the latter has 
a fairly good chance to gain five or ten yards 
in running back. 



66 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

Most plays coming against the center are de- 
layed plays and a center has to be careful that 
he is not pulled in and blocked out of the play. 
If you are playing a couple of yards back, and 
are watching the ball, you can delay a moment 
until you are sure where the play is directed 
and then go in. I think it poor policy to try to 
break through, but that you ought rather to 
check the opponent for a moment and after 
diagnosing the play rush for it. 

This new game affords endless opportunities 
for a man who can think quickly and is fast. 
It is hard to mention what chances will occur, 
but a heady player is one who is going to be 
ready for the chances that do come. White, 
1911 's All- American end, may have had some 
luck in having the chances he had against 
Yale and Harvard, but it was because he was 
wide-awake that he could take advantage of 
them. Opportunities to recover fumbles are 
perhaps offered to a center more often than 
to other members of the team because he is 
more or less of a free agent after his pass has 
been completed and it is his business to be near 
the baU. 

Passing for Field Goals 

Too often the man who runs with the ball 
or who makes a kick receives all the reward, 
while the snapper-back is lost sight of. How 



HOW TO PLAY CENTER 67 

many people remember the name of the center 
on the Harvard team which beat Yale 4-0 in 
1908? The name of Kennard has gone down 
in football history as one of the heroes of the 
game, while Nourse is probably forgotten. To 
my mind, Nonrse did almost as much toward 
winning that game as Kennard did. Imagine 
a team rushing the ball down the field until it 
reaches the thirty-yard line. There is a pause 
and a new man hurries on the field. Every 
one knows what is going to happen. Nourse 
and Kennard have been practising together for 
a good many months and now comes the crucial 
test. Both men know what it means. If the 
pass is high or low the opportunity is lost, and 
the strain on both is intense. The pass comes 
back true and the goal is kicked. But can't you 
understand what the center had to undergo 
and how much depended on him? That is the 
reason why the center's position is difficult, and 
why I think he plays almost as important a part 
as the kicker. 

I want to call attention to one center whom 
I have already mentioned. A center handi- 
capped by a small physique has to learn, so to 
speak, * ^ the tricks of the trade. ' ' This is what 
one famous Yale center did. He was not a big 
man but he was an accurate passer and could 
stop any other center with whom he came in 
contact, and was able to do so because he had 
learned how to get the most out of himself. For 



68 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

instance, when playing a man larger than your- 
self it is necessary to get below him and raise 
his head. In opposing a center yon can use 
your hands on the defense either by straight- 
arming him, or raising his head by bringing 
one arm under his head and charging at the 
same time. If one is quick enough this will stop 
any man. This speed and skill made Morris 
able to oppose and better nearly every center 
he met. 

A center should always remember that his 
is the * * pivotal ' ' position. He is at the center 
of the line and in a position to give inspiration 
to those on either side of him. This is an addi- 
tional reason why he should keep close to the 
ball and put spirit and dash into his work, 
appreciating his responsibilities. He is the 
man about whom the team lines up. He should 
be close to the ball when it is downed, ready to 
step up and take possession of it. If the center 
springs to his position with confidence and 
vigor it will put spirit into the entire team, and 
spirited team-play wins games. 

In conclusion let me state what I think are 
the three fundamentals for a good center and 
which ought to be thought of continually. First 
and uppermost, watch your passes and realize 
that the success of every play depends upon 
you and your passes. Second, use your hands 
on the defense. This use of the hands is of the 
greatest importance and does not want to be 



HOW TO PLAY CENTER 69 

neglected. Third, watch the ball all the time. 
If a fellow thinks of these things and practises 
them in a scrimmage, he may help his own game 
greatly. 



HOW TO PLAY GUAED 

BY JOSEPH M. DUFF 

As we were told down at Princeton, the main 
essentials of a football player, no matter what 
his position, are : 1. Follow the ball ; 2. Fight, 
and if there was a third it was to keep on fight- 
ing. By ^ * fight ' ^ I do not mean * ^ dirty ' ^ play, 
but simply hard play ; making the man against 
you know that you are there. It also means to 
keep at it. Never let up at all, for a let-up 
might give the man against you confidence, 
whereas you want him to fear you. 

The first ^ve minutes in a game between two 
evenly balanced and well trained teams, usually 
sees the game lost or won. Perhaps not in the 
score, but by putting confidence in one team and 
taking it away from the other. Therefore, 
when you go into a game, go in and play the 
first five minutes with all your might, and you 
will find that as the game goes on your work 
will get easier and easier. 

The first thing that a young player should 
learn to do is to take the right position in the 
line. He wants to take a position that is both 
comfortable and easy, that is, he does not want 

70 



HOW TO PLAY GUARD 71 

to play his position a certain way because he 
has seen some one else do it that way. The 
position should be crouching, balancing on the 
toes, so that the opposing players cannot easily 
push him back or to the side. The head should 
be up in the air so that he can watch the player 
opposite. The back must be kept straight and 
stiff in order to have strength. 

When a player once has good form in his 
position all he needs is the necessary '* never 
say die '' spirit in order to be a good player. 
In the old game the guard had a limited ground 
to cover, that is, the opening between himself 
and the center and also between himself and 
the tackle. But in the new game there is no 
special place for him to cover. Of course, he 
must above all else see that no gains are made 
through him, but he is just as responsible for 
plays around end and on the other side of the 
line. 

To do these things a good guard has to break 
through the opposing line, and to break through 
that line he has to charge harder and faster 
than the men opposed to him, every time. This 
means a good deal, but practice in sprint start- 
ing will soon make you good at this. Above all 
else when charging, charge low. To charge 
high is the same as not charging at all because 
as soon as a player can get his body against 
yours it is the easiest thing in the world to stop 
you. Now when I say charge low, I do not mean 



72 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

that you are to bury your head and go in blind. 
You have to keep your head up in order to see 
where the play is going. A good method of 
getting a low charge is to tie a string between 
two poles, from two to three feet (varying with 
the size of the player) and practise about ten 
minutes each day charging under the string. 

Defensive Play 

On the defense a good guard should play 
about a yard and a half from the center, and 
a little outside the man opposed to him. Watch 
the ball closely. As soon as it is snapped by 
the center, charge through if you are reason- 
ably sure where the play is going. If you are 
not sure where it is going, stiff-arm the player 
opposite you and wait to see where the play is 
going before you make any false move. 

It is easy to stiff-arm a player, for you know 
you can shift your hands much faster than you 
can your feet. When you stiff-arm a man you 
place your arms, with your hands outstretched, 
against his head or shoulders, and hold him in 
this way at arm's length. The whole use of this 
is that it gives you time to see the play, and at 
the same time keeps your opponent from push- 
ing you back and thus keeping you out of the 
play. 

On the offense a guard has a hard job. Don't 
think when the play is on the side opposite to 



HOW TO PLAY GUARD 73 

you that you have nothing to do. Your duty 
is to go through and get the secondary defense. 
When the play is through center, you must 
charge shoulder to shoulder with the center and 
tackle. When the play is on the tackle you must 
help your tackle get the opposing men out of 
the way. 

On the kicks the guards do not have such 
hard work. If the kicker is slow they must 
check their man, but if fast, as DeWitt of 
Princeton, they check just for an instant and 
then go down the field with the ends and tackles. 
But they are nevertheless responsible for any 
man that gets through and blocks a kick, for a 
blocked kick is a bad thing, and often leads to 
the losing or winning of a game, as was the case 
in the Princeton-Harvard and Harvard-Dart- 
mouth games of 1911. There is no excuse for 
the player who lets another block a kick, for the 
check of an instant is generally long enough to 
allow the kick to get off safely. 

The Kicking Game 

When your opponents call for a kick forma- 
tion there are several things to remember. In 
the first place if the ball is in your opponent's 
territory it will generally be a kick, but if the 
ball is inside your forty or forty-five yard line 
you have to watch out for one of four things : 
1, A fake play through the center; 2, A for- 



74 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

ward pass; 3, A run around the end; 4, A 
drop-kick. 

When a kick formation is called, and the op- 
ponents take their positions, look to see if 
there is a man close up to the center, who is 
in a position to take the ball from center and 
charge through the line. If there is no one in 
this position a guard can shift out pretty far, 
but if there is a man there the guard must play 
in close and keep an eye on this man, and see 
that he does not take the ball and try to gain 
through the line. 

A guard is directly responsible for all plays 
on center. You are not responsible for a for- 
ward pass, but you should try to block it. 
When you see them try a run around end, do 
not run directly for the man if he is trying to 
get around you, but run right straight across 
the field so that you will either meet him or 
drive him out of bounds before he has gained 
many yards. 

My last admonition is, play hard, fast, and 
clean, and above all never give up, but have a 
determination to win no matter how great the 
odds against you. This is the spirit that counts 
in football, and in no other game are more man- 
liness and restraint required. 



HOW TO PLAY TACKLE 

BY EDWAKD J. HAKT 

To play the position of tackle well the young 
man must be fitted for the place. He must de- 
velop his legs, arms, and back because these 
parts are used often throughout a game. After 
this he should not neglect to practise quick 
starts, and so train his muscles to act instantly 
when called upon. After developing and 
strengthening the important parts and training 
the muscles for speed he should not neglect to 
gain as much endurance as possible, because, 
no matter how big his muscles may be or how 
much speed he has, if he doesn't have a fair 
amount of endurance he will be very much 
handicapped. One cannot develop a high de- 
gree of endurance if he abuses his body by 
smoking or other dissipation. 

Remember that you have a head and a pair 
of arms and use them every second of the game. 
On the defense the tackle should never be afraid 
of playing too far away from his guard. He 
should take his position directly opposite his 
end or in fact a little to the outside. Eight here 
I would like to impress upon the mind of the 

75 



76 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

young tackle that lie be careful not to play- 
between two opponents and depend on his 
strength to go between them to get the man 
with the ball. I have heard of big, powerful 
tackles doing this but after asking them if they 
did this they all said no. They would appear 
to the spectator to be playing directly between 
two opponents, but just as soon as the ball was 
snapped they would instantly change their posi- 
tion to the outside man, and either charge him 
on to his help-mate or side-step him. 

The great tackles who are noted for giant 
strength were masters at using their brains. 
These men often played men who were just as 
powerful, but outplayed them because they 
didn't depend upon their strength entirely. 
The great players are constantly figuring how 
they are going to outguess their opponent on 
the next play. The tackle cannot use the same 
tactics throughout the contest. He has to have 
at least a half-dozen ways of charging his oppo- 
nent and use these different ways in such a 
manner that the opponent cannot diagnose what 
he is going to do next. As long as you have 
your opponent guessing, you will have an easy 
time, but just as soon as he has you sized up, 
no matter how strong you are, you will find 
much trouble ahead of you. Just as soon as 
the ball is snapped, the heady tackle will at- 
tempt to be at a point different from where his 
opponent expected him to be. 



HOW TO PLAY TACKLE 77 

Use Your Arms 

After a young man feels that he can keep 
cool and use his head he must learn to use his 
arms. Just at the instant the ball is snapped 
he must shoot his arms at full length, and with 
every ounce of strength and speed, against the 
upper portion of his opponent's body, remem- 
bering at the same time to keep his legs as far 
away from him as possible. If his opponent 
gets under the player 's arms so that he has him 
boxed, the one that is boxed should never try 
to force his opponent back by sheer strength 
but instead back away and get to the man with 
the ball at once. If the tackle tries to get out 
of the box in any other way he will only be 
wasting his time and energy. So be careful to 
see that your arms are on your opponent when 
the ball is snapped, and hold him off until you 
find out what course to take in order to get the 
man with the ball. One of the best ways to do 
this is as follows : if playing left tackle place 
your right hand on the side of your opponent's 
neck and place the left hand on his right arm 
around the triceps or under the arm-pit. If 
you get him in this position you can turn him 
in any direction you wish. As I said before, 
you must vary your attack or the opponent will 
be able to get under your arms. If you once 
get so you can use your arms well, you will find 
little trouble handling your rival. 



78 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

The tackle should also remember to charge 
everything towards the middle of the line. For 
example, as soon as the ball is snapped he 
should charge in on the outside of the opposing 
end and be in such a position that the man with 
the ball will be unable to circle around his end. 
When the man with the ball sees a big tackle 
charging in so that he can't get around the end 
he will try to cut in close to the center where 
it will be much harder to gain. Very often the 
tackle who uses his arms well, will be able to 
get by the end and then charge in so as to get 
the player before the three center men. Every 
instant gained in this way counts for much. 

The tackle and end should work in harmony 
with each other. They should work out a set 
of signals independent of the team signals; in 
this way tKey can improve their game to such 
an extent that they will be a hard combination 
to overcome. By working together I have seen 
many a tackle gain a big reputation because he 
had a good end helping him, and vice versa. If 
the tackle runs up against a player who is more 
than his match, the clever end can save him; 
on the other hand, a clever tackle who uses his 
head and arms can stop plays from reaching 
his end, thereby saving his end so that he can 
keep his strength to do other things such 
as receiving the forward pass, running down 
punts, and taking the ball himself. If the end 
is obliged to do the tackle's work he will be in 



HOW TO PLAY TACKLE 79 

no condition to carry out the above work suc- 
cessfully. By working together they can make 
each other's work very easy. 

Play Hard 

Play hard, keep cool, fall in love with your 
position; no matter how tired you are remem- 
ber that your opponent is just as tired, and 
perhaps more so, and this is the time when you 
should charge against him harder than ever. 
Make him believe that you are as fresh as you 
were the moment you started. 

On the offense, the tackle should play close 
to his guard. As a rule, on all plays inside of 
tackle he should help his guard and on all plays 
outside help the end. Of course, if the guard 
is able to handle his man alone the tackle can 
help the end. If the end can handle his man, 
the tackle can use his judgment and so play as 
to get the maximum efficiency out of both his 
partners and himself. On the offense the tackle 
should play as close to the ground as possible 
and charge with a terrific drive from his legs. 
Charge low and hard and never straighten up 
unless you have your opponent on your shoul- 
ders. The tackle who charges low, quick, and 
hard will be a hard player to defeat. Here 
again I would strongly advise the tackle to 
charge neither ahead nor behind his guard or 
end, they must be shoulder to shoulder or a 



80 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

clever opponent will side-step and get in be- 
tween them. 

In conclusion, don't forget to use your hands 
and arms. Go at your work to make it enjoy- 
able. Eemember that a player who won't be 
outplayed can't be outplayed. After each 
charge and tackle, make up your mind to do a 
little better the next time. Never be satisfied 
that you have done well; there is always a 
chance for improvement. The best tackle that 
ever lived learned something in his last game. 
Work from the time the official blows his whistle 
until the finish. If you walk off the field not 
feeling tired you can rest assured that you have 
not done your duty, but if you give every ounce 
that's in you for every second, win or lose, you 
will always have a clear conscience. 



TACKLE PLAY 



BY LELAND S. DEVOEE 



The key to successful football playing, as 
well as to any other athletic success, is largely 
experience. That which applies to a tackle is 
applicable in many ways to any man on a foot- 
ball team. To be a player who can hold his 
own in the game of to-day, it is necessary to 
have a thorough knowledge of the fundamen- 
tals, which can only be obtained by practice — 
by years of experience from boyhood up. No 
matter what class of team one plays on, the 
football sense is bound to come if the player 
has the energy and ambition to keep at it. He 
should benefit by the bad, as well as by the good 
plays; by his opponent's style of offense as 
well as defense. In a season of eight or nine 
games, by getting even one point from each op- 
ponent, a player's all-round ability should be 
strengthened. 

There are *^ knacks " in all our games, but 
probably more at football than any other. The 
little fellow who knows how is of more service 
to his team than the big, lubberly man put in 
on account of his weight and strength. Brute 

81 



82 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

force can accomplisli some tMngs, but can never 
liope to match science in anything along the line 
of athletics, or in any other direction where the 
force of brains and energy have play. Obvi- 
ously, the strapping, big fellow who can combine 
science with cultivated natural abilities is what 
we want on our college teams, and an effort is 
made to obtain material which will develop up 
to this standard. 

When the freshmen come in in the fall you 
do not see all the ^^ last year '' men looking 
over the runts, for in the end it is better to 
spend two, three, or even four years to develop 
a big man into a Varsity player than to work 
on a likely small man for a year or so, and at 
last have to discard him, or keep him on the 
scrubs because of his lack of weight. Of course, 
there are exceptions to this, but they are not 
many. 

The tackle, in the running game particularly, 
is the man upon whom most of the work falls, 
and for a team to make a successful season, it 
is up to him to make good. On the offensive, 
both in line plunging and running the ends, he 
must do effective work in opening holes and 
making interference. The man with the ball is 
absolutely helpless without a space opened up 
for him to go through. If the tackle does not 
get his opponent out of the way, his back carry- 
ing the ball either bumps into his own men or 
runs into the arms of the linemen on the other 



TACKLE PLAY 83 

side. The reason that this work falls upon the 
tackle is that most line plays in the present 
game are ** skin tackle/' plays in which the 
back goes over the tackle or just outside. If the 
offensive tackle does not put his man clear out, 
the back would save himself a strenuous effort 
by yelling ** Down! '' He is helpless without 
his helpers. 

The success of every team depends upon 
every man doing his assigned duty, for if one 
man out of the eleven shirks, the play is spoiled. 
When a hole is once made and the man carrying 
the ball safely through, the majority of players 
think they have done their share of the work, 
but they have not. It is up to them to be up 
and away, looking all the time for another man 
who may be dangerous to the success of a play; 
to keep hustling until the ball is down. Never 
stop for a horn when you hear it, unless you 
see the ball is down, but play harder than ever, 
for if it is a penalty against your opponents 
you may have your choice of a fifty-yard run 
or a five-yard gain for off-side play. But if you 
see that the ball is down, there is no use in your 
piling on, shoving, or pulling, because the ball 
will be brought back and the offending man will 
cause a penalty loss of five, ten, or fifteen yards 
to his team instead of gaining a measly yard 
or two. 

When the ball is going over the opposite side 
of the line, the tackle has his hardest work to 



84 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

do, for if Ms running mate does his work well, 
it depends on him whether the back makes a 
gain of five yards or lengthens it into fifteen, 
twenty, or even a touchdown. It is his duty 
then to put out the men playing back, for they 
spoil ninety per cent, of all plays. In one of 
our biggest games of a recent season we went 
over for a touchdown in less than three min- 
utes from the kick-off just because our linemen 
broke through and put the opposing secondary 
defense out of the play. It would be a safe 
wager now to say that team does not know how 
we went through them as we did. It was sim- 
ply a case of blocking the men who could spoil 
the play. 

On the defensive, the tackle is the most val- 
uable man to his team, and he should be made 
to understand that he is directly responsible 
for all line plays and end runs on his side of 
the line. No interference has ever been in- 
vented that cannot be absolutely ruined by a 
tackle and his side partner, the end. With a 
heavy end next to you, either can break up the 
interference and the other get the man, but with 
a light end the tackle must scatter the inter- 
ference, and if possible, get the man carrying 
the ball. On seventy-five per cent, of line-bucks 
on his side of the line he should get the man 
carrying the ball before he reaches the line of 
scrimmage; it takes fast and powerful work, 
but a tackle can never hope to be a first-class 



TACKLE PLAY 85 

player unless he has speed and muscle. In case 
of a forward pass the tackle is responsible for 
the man on the end of the opposing line who 
is eligible to receive it. He must get him ont. 
Stay on the job and keep busy; do something 
every moment. Every play of every man 
should be clean and above reproach. No one 
should attempt to wantonly injure another, or 
let his temper interfere with his judgment or 
his gentlemanly action. The spirit of sport and 
friendly rivalry should be, and can be, fostered 
by manly aggressiveness. 

A tackle's position on the offense is practi- 
cally the same as the guard's. He should be 
facing the line squarely, with legs well under 
him, feet separated far enough to keep from 
being pushed sideways, with most of the weight 
on the feet, but both hands resting on the 
ground even with the near end of the ball, with 
sufficient weight on them to carry him forward 
when they are taken off the ground. The back 
should be straight and sloping slightly from the 
shoulders to the rear. Hold the head always 
erect. Play as close to the guard as is possi- 
ble without impeding your movements. Have 
a complete set of signals with your guard so 
that you caa work together successfully. Im- 
press upon him that he is to help you put the 
opposing man out when you touch him on the 
hand; or that you will help him put his man 
in when you hit his arm or shoulder. This 



86 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

coordination is necessary for effective work. 
When the signal is sounded to snap the ball 
back, be ofP with it. You can or should be into 
your man before he knows the ball is in play; 
keep low so that you can get under him; keep 
your hands down and put your shoulder and 
body into him. The man who gets the jump is 
the man who can handle his opponent. If you 
want to put your man in, let your head be on the 
outside of him so that he has to pass inside of 
you to get through, and as the play is going on 
the outside just put your inside shoulder against 
him and see that he keeps on the outside. You 
have your body between him and the play, so 
there is no reason for his getting into the play 
at all. If you are not required to make a hole, 
as soon as the ball is snapped back you should 
be away, hit your opponent and go down the 
field after the secondary defense. Follow the 
ball so that when it is down you will be near it ; 
help your backs up, and get into your place in 
the line. Eest on one knee until your quarter 
starts his signals when you take your charging 
position. On kicks, hold until you know the ball 
has been kicked and not blocked, then hustle 
down the field. 

In playing the tackle position, when your 
team kicks, a great deal depends on whether 
you play on the right or left side of the line, 
and also on whether your kicker boots with his 
right or left foot. Most men kick with their 



TACKLE PLAY 87 

right foot, and if you are playing right tackle 
you must take especial care that no one breaks 
through you. You are not only responsible for 
the player opposite you, but also for any one 
else who tries to get through your position and 
block the kick. But remember that your first 
responsibility is your immediate opponent. If 
you play left tackle there is little likelihood that 
an opposing player who is opposite you can 
reach a man kicking with his right foot. The 
punter naturally steps a bit to the right in kick- 
ing, and so away from any one breaking 
through on the left side of the line. Thus the 
left tackle has less responsibility in blocking in 
the case of a *' right-footed '' kicker. If you 
are playing that position you need worry only 
about your immediate opponent, and should 
endeavor to throw him back and off his balance 
so that you can be in a position to hustle down 
the field as soon as you know the punt is away 
safely. Do not depend upon the end to get the 
man who received the punt. The end may have 
been blocked and you have an almost equally 
good opportunity to make the tackle. Use your 
speed and follow the ball down. If it is caught, 
get the man. If it is fumbled, be on top of it. 
You have an especial responsibility if the punt 
has been short, for the ends have probably 
dashed farther down the field and are not in 
a position to stop the man who receives the 
ball. In this case the duty devolves upon the 



88 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

tackle. All this is reversed if your punter kicks 
with his left foot. 

There is more knack in defensive play than 
in offensive. The position of the tackle is dif- 
ferent; he should always play a foot or two 
outside the man on the end of the line. Play 
rather high, legs slightly bent with hands on 
the knees, or on the ground, but the weight 
should be on the legs. It is on the defensive 
that a tackle has a chance to display his foot- 
ball sense. Keep your head up. Over half the 
time you will know where the ball is going 
before it is even put in play. "When you know, 
yell out, so that the opposing team will know 
you know, and your own team will benefit by 
your knowledge. When the ball is snapped, be 
sure of getting the end. Put your inside hand 
on his neck or shoulder, the other near his hip 5 
keep him away from you. Plold your head up 
all the time watching the ball every instant. If 
you see a line play coming throw him into it 
if you possibly can. Otherwise pivot around 
him and get into it yourself. If an end run is 
being attempted, put the end out of the play and 
go into the interference with the idea of getting 
the man carrying the ball. Use your hands all 
the time; efficiency in their use means your 
success on the defensive. When you get near 
the man with the ball tackle him — which is a 
lot easier said than done. When you tackle go 
into the man hard; wrap both arms around 



TACKLE PLAY 89 

his legs, and wrap them with all the strength 
you have. Keep your hands closed and thus 
save broken fingers. For the average player 
a point about the knees is the best place to aim 
for. A big man can do good tackling around 
the neck, but this takes weight and confidence 
in one's ability to hold. The tackle about the 
legs is more sure. 

Never slow down before tackling, for the 
man going the slower will get the harder bump. 
Just before you get within tackling distance put 
all the power and energy you have into the last 
two or three steps before you meet the runner, 
and instead of having him fall forward and 
gaining two or three yards, you will throw him 
back for a loss. This tackle successfully played 
encourages every man on the team, puts ginger 
into his nerves, and makes him brace up ready 
and alert for any regular or surprise play which 
the opposition may uncover. It is catching, and 
every man on the team tries to do better than 
any other. This spirit, with team-work and 
friendly fighting, is what accomplishes things 
worth while and wins games. 

In a few words, the work of a tackje consists 
in playing low and charging hard when on the 
offensive, and using the hands when on the 
defensive. Aggressiveness at all times is a 
winning quality, other things being equal. 
Quickness to diagnose a play is a very helpful 
element to success. When you have made up 



90 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

your mind as to what is coming, or what is to 
be done, act quickly, and put forth all the power 
you have. Talk to the men near you, help them 
when you can, always be on the jump. Take 
advantage of every opportunity, profit by every 
misplay, and keep on the firing line, using 
every missile of science and strength, of skill 
and energy until a victory is won — or a cred- 
itable game lost. 



IMPOETANCE OF THE END POSITION 

BY STANFIELD WELLS 

Theee are as many ways to play end as there 
are ends and football coaches. This means 
that there are scores of methods which a player 
on the line extremity may adopt with success, 
but it is likely that a close study of all these 
styles of play would bring out the fact that 
they are all about the same. The differences are 
small, and relate more to the detail of playing 
the position than to the general theory. 

The differences are small, to be sure, but it 
is the little things that count in football as well 
as in anything else, and it therefore would be 
impossible for any person to say that this mode 
of playing end was the right one and that that 
one was all wrong. Every end has worked out 
some problem for himself in a satisfactory way ; 
every good coach has some well-founded theory 
as to how an end should perform. These things, 
discovered by men who know football, cannot 
be disregarded. We should draw upon the 
knowledge and experience of others as far as 
possible, and then use our own judgment in 

91 



92 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

selecting the methods that seem best fitted to 
carry out the work at hand. 

So it is impossible to lay down a set of rules 
for playing end. A few general suggestions 
can be given; the style of play will bring out 
new points to be mastered, and the game itself 
— the great training school — will do the rest. 

The importance of the ends has increased 
greatly with the evolution of football. A dozen 
years ago, when the attack was made largely 
between tackle and tackle, the guards and 
tackles bore the brunt of it, while the backs 
were the ones who advanced the ball for the 
most part. End runs were used effectively, to 
be sure, but the mass play was the popular 
style of offense. While the ends had no chance 
to loaf, they were not made to bear the vast 
amount of work that is now placed upon their 
shoulders. 

The forward pass and other forms of open 
attack have brought about the increase of labor 
for men who play at end. This work will keep 
on increasing as men who teach football deter- 
mine more of the game's possibilities. Great 
steps have been made in the last few years 
toward changing football from the old give- 
and-take, almost brutal game that it once was. 
Offensive tactics have entirely changed and 
they will keep on changing as the game comes 
out of the experimental stage into which the 
great rule changes forced it. More and more 




1 



MAHAN OF HARVAKD MAKIISTG A I.ONG EIS'D RUN IN HARVARD- 

HOIiY CROSS GAME, 1913. FOUR HOLY CROSS PLAYERS HAVE BEEN 

PUT OUT OF THE PLAY BY THE HARVARD INTERFERENCE, 

AND THE RUNNER IS GIVEN A SPLENDID OPENING. 




THORPE OF CARLISLE STARTING ON A LONG END RUN IN HARVARD- 
CARLISLE GAME, 1911. NOTE INTERFERENCE 
GIVEN THE INDIAN PLAYER. 




HARDWICK OF HARVARD MAKING A SUCtJiSSFUL END RUN IN 

HARVARD-YALE GAME, 1913. NOTE INTERFERENCE ON END, 

AND NUMBER OF YALE PLAYERS PUT OUT OF THE PLAY. 

THE VALUE OF INTERFERENCE 



IMPORTANCE OF END POSITION 93 

will plays be used which are based on kicks or 
long passes, and all this open work will mean 
more for the men on the line extremities to 
master. 

The end is the logical man to receive the ball 
on the forward pass. It is easier for him to 
break away from the mass of players and get 
down the field nnder the passed ball than it is 
for one of the backs, unless the back be shifted 
to a position on the line of scrimmage. It would 
be folly continually to send a man from behind 
the line to receive a forward pass, when the 
ends could be used for that purpose. It would 
take the back longer to work his way down the 
gridiron, and any one who knows football as it 
is played to-day knows that speed is the pri- 
mary essential. Without snap and go no team 
can succeed, and in no place is rapid action 
needed more than in executing the forward pass. 
A fraction of a second's lagging will enable 
some opposing player to throw up his hand and 
block the pass. Then the passing side loses 
ground, which is not exactly the object of at- 
tacking. So it is that the end is the player who 
must bear the brunt of the work when forward 
passes are being used, and, as the forward pass 
promises to become more popular as the game 
progresses, it is reasonable to believe that the 
end is going to be called on for greater effort in 
years to come. 

The same holds true of the plays based on 



94 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

short kicks. It seems certain that coaches will 
devise methods of using the short kick. And 
here again it is the end who is called on to do 
the heavy end of the labor. It is no easy matter 
getting down under a low, short kick and down- 
ing the ball before the secondary defense of 
your opponents can turn the trick. It is almost 
impossible for a back to do this, and if the for- 
wards are evenly matched it is also almost im- 
possible for them to get through. So it is up 
to Mr. End again. He must be the busy one, 
work his way through and carry out the busi- 
ness end of this important style of attack. 

If there is one piece of work which the end 
must place before all others it is getting down 
under punts. When his team boots the ball, it 
is up to the end to follow the pigskin just as 
fast as he possibly can. He should make it a 
point to exert every ounce of his strength to 
be right under that ball when it strikes the 
ground, for the effectiveness of punting de- 
pends to a great extent upon the ends. Those 
who have made no study of football are inclined 
to give too much credit to the man who kicks the 
ball when kicks result successfully. They do 
not take into consideration that the greatest 
punter in the world would be ineffective unless 
his kicking was backed up by the work of strong 
ends. Say, for instance, that the ball is punted 
forty yards and that when it comes to earth 
again there are none of the kicker 's team-mates 



IMPORTANCE OF END POSITION 95 

near it. Then the defensive backs of the op- 
posing team will gather np the ball and carry 
it back for twenty yards before they are 
downed. This punt resulted in taking the ball 
only twenty yards towards the opponents ' goal. 
But suppose that the punt had gone only thirty 
yards and, at the same time, the ends went down 
under the ball and were able to stop the oppo- 
sing player the instant he caught the oval. 
Then the kick would result in a thirty-yard gain 
although it was shorter by ten yards than the 
other. 

I hope that these illustrations will go to show 
how important it is for ends to cooperate with 
the man who does the punting. When a punt 
is called, the end should prepare to fight with 
renewed vigor. He is in a hard position. In 
the first place it is absolutely necessary that 
he work his way through the opposing line, and 
of equal importance that he go in the right di- 
rection. Of course, signals will help warn the 
end in what direction the ball is to be kicked — 
to the right, left, or straight across the line of 
scrimmage. But it is imperative that the end 
should see that ball going. The best of punters 
will go wrong now and then and the man whose 
business it is to follow that ball cannot afford 
to run the risk of misjudging his direction. 
Keep your eye on the ball as much as is possible 
without impairing your progress and make up 
your mind that you are going to meet that ball 



96 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

when it alights. Don't let anything stop you, 
because ground gained by punting is just as 
important as that gained by carrying the ball 
forward; in many cases it is of more impor- 
tance. Arid the end is just as responsible for 
the success of punts as is the man whose boot 
sends the ball flying. 

High school teams are inclined to overlook 
this important phase of football and the result 
is that the players are forced to learn it when 
they join the squads of larger institutions. It 
is difficult to teach an old dog new tricks and 
it is difficult to break young football players of 
bad habits. Learn to do these things as they 
should be done when you first commence to 
learn football and it will save you much time 
and effort when you get to the top of the ladder. 

Those who have had the opportunity of work- 
ing under a good coach will remember the con- 
tinual cautioning against giving away plays. 
There are many ways in which the play to come 
may be betrayed to your opponents. The shift- 
ing of a foot, the turn of a head, a false start 
— any of these things and many more will give 
the opposing players a good idea of what is 
to come. And the end, being exposed to a closer 
and more comprehensive view from the other 
eleven, can give a play away quicker than any 
other man on the team. The end should drill 
himself to make no false moves, to always start 
from the same position, and not to start until 



IMPORTANCE OF END POSITION 97 

the ball has been passed. Some men can start 
from the right foot only and some can start 
better from their left foot. It makes no differ- 
ence which foot you start from so long as you 
always use that foot. To change may divulge 
a secret and break up a play. Keep your head 
well down and your eyes always on the ball. 
Keep your nerves steady and learn to move 
when the ball moves and not before. Always 
crouch in the same position, move when you 
should move and you will not be the man to 
give away the attack of your eleven. 

In newspaper accounts of big football games 
you will often read that one team outblocked 
the other, and when you read such a statement 
it is a safe guess that the team which put up 
the better exhibition of blocking was the team 
which carried off victory. Without a proper 
knowledge of blocking no man can expect to play 
football with any success, and a team made up 
of men who are ignorant of this phase of the 
game is beaten before it starts playing if it is 
matched against a team of good blockers. This 
art of running into a man and knocking him 
over looks to be easy; it also looks to be a small 
part of football. It is not easy and it is no 
small part of the game. Any man who has ever 
played on a college eleven will tell you that. 

The end must do his share of the blocking, 
and his share is a big share. On end runs, he 
must knock opponents out of the way; on line 



98 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

plays lie must help open holes for the man with 
the ball. 

To tell a person how to block is a difficult 
matter. It is something which should be viv- 
idly illustrated. Blocking in the line and block- 
ing in the open are, of course, two distinct mat- 
ters. The essential thing in both is to get your 
man first and get him low. If he is the quicker 
of the two your work will be ineffective ; if you 
block high he will slip past you somehow if he 
amounts to much as a football player. In the 
line you must outcharge your opponent if you 
are to outplay him, and, once outcharged, you 
will have him at your mercy. You can open 
holes, then, by pushing him this way or that. 
In the open, however, the blocker faces an 
entirely different situation. He may be on the 
run just before he blocks an opponent. If such 
is the case, he should leave his feet and hurl 
himself at the other's legs. Many men block 
by diving. This is usually an effective method, 
but if a man can throw his body directly across 
the path of his opponent it is easy to see that 
the chances of causing a bad spill will be much 
better. In diving, your ** blocking surface " 
as it might be called, is only the width of your 
shoulders, but when you throw yourself across 
another man's legs or knees, this surface con- 
sists of the whole length of your body. 

Thus far, the duties of an end on offense have 
been discussed to the exclusion of anything else. 



IMPORTANCE OF END POSITION 99 

The work of a man on the extremity of the 
line does not lag when the others are in posses- 
sion of the ball. Far from it. Then he has 
tackling and blocking and sprinting after 
passes and kicked balls to do just as he has 
those things to do on the offense. 

Much has been written about tackling and 
there is little that any one can add to the fund 
of knowledge that every football player has on 
this phase of the game. With the open style 
of attack now in vogue, the ends have much 
tackling to do. End runs are used to a greater 
extent than they were a few years ago; the 
forward pass makes more tackling for the ends. 
Coaches used to urge their men to dive in tack- 
ling, but the new rules have made such tactics 
illegal. The tackle should always be low. You 
can do it without diving. Get a man around the 
knees, and he is going down, but if you grab his 
waist or shoulders he can drag you along for 
yards. 

In earlier paragraphs we discussed the ne- 
cessity of getting down the field under punts. 
If this necessity is clear, is it not also clear that 
it is imperative to keep your opposing end from 
getting under his own punts f That is one of 
the most important parts of the work of the 
defensive ends. Use every power at your com- 
mand to keep that man from getting down 
under the ball. If he outgenerals you in this 
maneuver, your defensive backs will have little 



100 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

or no chance of carrying the ball back. Knock 
him off his feet if you can do it legally. If you 
can't get him down, stay with him; keep your 
shoulder against his body and do your best to 
steer him away from that ball. 

The ends, as well as all other players, should 
continually keep an eye out for balls passed by 
their opponents. Oftentimes the intercepting 
of a forward pass has turned the tide in a foot- 
ball game. In the Michigan-Minnesota game of 
1909 Magidsohn grabbed a Gopher forward 
pass and could have almost walked to the goal 
line, so clear of players was the field before him. 
Just because he was on the lookout for passes, 
Michigan's score was increased by six points 
and the game cinched. But, as well as having 
an opportunity to actually gain ground after 
catching the enemy's pass, you can often pre- 
vent him from making long gains. In almost 
any big game you will see a defensive player 
literally snatch the ball from an opponent's 
hands and thereby prevent a tremendous gain. 

The above consists merely of a few hints for 
those who are to play at end. As has been said, 
it is almost impossible to lay down any set rules 
for playing the position. Experience is the 
teacher of all teachers and a season of football 
will teach a player more than any coach can 
talk into him in three seasons. 

As for the physique of an end : it makes little 
difference whether a man is big or little; as 



IMPORTANCE OF END POSITION 101 

long as he can ^^ deliver the goods " no one will 
bother about his physical endowments. In gen- 
eral, big men are playing the ends nowadays. 
It is easier for a tall man to catch forward 
passes than it is for a short man. The bigger 
the man, the greater are the possibilities of 
making him a good blocker. In general, the big 
fellows have the advantage over the little ones 
in contests for the end positions. This does 
not mean that men of small stature have no 
chance of holding down such a job. There are 
small men playing at end now and they play a 
good game ; but they are the exceptions. How- 
ever, if you are small and want to play end, 
don't give up. Keep trying. This has won 
letters for many a football player. 

The one thing that all boys who want to play 
football on big teams should do is to master the 
rudiments of the game as soon as possible. 
Many a man with the body and spirit of a foot- 
ball player has been kept out of the big game 
for a year, possibly two, and, sometimes never 
got in at all just because he had not started 
learning the little things early enough in life. 

Football has ceased to be a game for mere 
brawn. It is a game for men who can think 
quickly and sanely ; who can act as they think ; 
who do not hesitate ; in a word : for men who 
have clear heads and steady nerves. There is 
much to learn about football before you can 
play it well. Perhaps you think that training 



102 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

consists in a couple of hours ' work every after- 
noon. If so, you are mistaken. One of the most 
important parts of football training is the lec- 
turing that every good coach gives his men. 
Long hours are spent in this manner and the 
fine points of attack and repulse are talked into 
the players just as in the classroom, the laws of 
mathematics and physics are pounded into the 
student. This goes to show that you cannot 
learn football in a week, a month, or a season. 
After you have played your three years of col- 
lege football there is still a world of informa- 
tion that you have missed. 

Just keep that in mind and then think of the 
hopelessness of trying to learn all the big 
things about football before you have mastered 
the little things. It is an impossibility. Years 
ago, coaches made star players in a season. 
They do it no longer. The boy who enters col- 
lege with a knowledge of tackling, passing and 
catching the ball, and such matters will stand a 
far better chance of getting on the 'varsity 
squad his second year than will the man who 
knows little or nothing about these rudiments 
of the game. 

Don't overdo. Don't try to play football 
with bigger and heavier boys until you have 
your growth. It will gain you nothing. Prac- 
tise passing and catching the ball; learn how 
to tackle; learn to fall on a ball and secure it 
when it rolls on the ground. Learn to start 



IMPORTANCE OF END POSITION 103 

quickly and to charge low. Keep yourself in 
good physical trim. Do these things and you 
will have built a foundation that every football 
player must have. 



HOW TO PLAY FULLBACK 

BY JOHN P. DALTON 

Necessity of Good Physical Condition 

It is my purpose in this article to offer a few 
suggestions to the young man who is starting 
out on a football career and who has ambitions 
to play the fullback position. There are many 
points which he will very likely not be familiar 
with, and unless they are pointed out to him he 
will probably proceed blindly and with no 
thought of the rudimentary principles which 
are all-important in football. 

Primarily, he must fit his body to withstand 
the strain imposed upon it, all of which is 
summed up in the word training. The result 
of failure to regard this necessity has been 
brought home to me on so many occasions that 
I unhesitatingly state that under no conditions 
would I permit a player who failed to observe 
training to engage either in practice or in 
games, because being untrained he is much 
more liable to injury, and such injuries received 
might mean the loss of a valuable player in 
later games. 

104 



HOW TO PLAY FULLBACK 105 

In dealing with the body, a clean, healthy 
mind is absolutely essential since it is the mind 
which governs the actions of the body. One 
cannot afford to have a sluggish mind in the 
game of football, for it is the man who thinks 
quickly with judgment emanating from a clean 
mind who succeeds. 

On the football field there is only one way to 
do things and that is the right way. Do every- 
thing with earnestness, exerting every effort to 
do it well. 

A most requisite quality of the fullback is his 
ability to analyze the opponent's play and to 
act quickly in order to prevent its success. This 
can only be had by years of experience, but with 
close application and continued observation, 
watching the smallest points, such as facial ex- 
pressions, unconscious shifting of positions by 
opposing players, it is very remarkable how 
proficient one may become in diagnosing plays. 
The fullback who studies this will in the major- 
ity of cases be prepared for the attack, and con- 
sequently his chances of stopping it are greatly 
increased. 

On the defensive the fullback should occupy 
a position from four to eight yards behind the 
line of scrimmage, depending upon where the 
center plays. If the center plays well back 
from the line the fullback plays farther back; 
if the center plays close to the line the fullback 
should play closer accordingly. Whether cen- 



106 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

ter and fullback play close up or back depends 
upon the ability of the center and whether the 
opponents are using a line-plunging or forward- 
passing game. 

The fullback should stand fairly erect so that 
he can see the opponents' backfield and note 
their formations. He should vary his position 
relative to the opponents ' formation, moving in 
a direction parallel to the direction of the oppo- 
nents ' shift. Be careful to realize that certain 
shifts are employed only as a ruse to weaken 
the defensive at designed point by removing 
fullback from backing up the line. 

Follow the Ball 

The fullback should constantly keep in mind 
the necessity of watching the ball from the mo- 
ment it is put in play. If the location of the 
ball is doubtful, his duty is first to ascertain 
where it is or is most likely to be, and as soon 
as its direction, or rather the direction of the 
runner carrying the ball, is noted he must get 
quickly into position to meet the runner at the 
earliest possible moment. How to meet such 
plays most effectively is a question which rests 
entirely upon the physical make-up of the full- 
back and in fact upon the team as a whole. 
Should the fullback have a reliable rush-line 
capable of eliminating a greater portion of the 
runner's interference his work is compara- 



HOW TO PLAY FULLBACK 107 

tively easy and Ms duty is then to play for tlie 
runner alone. If, however, his line is weaker 
than that of the opponents' he must direct his 
efforts to meet the interference as a whole, 
which is a far greater tax upon his strength. 
The fullback should not permit himself to be 
drawn back by any assumed punt formation ; at 
least not until he is quite certain that the oppo- 
nents will kick. In the first place his efficacy 
in handling punts is not a matter of particular 
importance since it is seldom that he would 
have such opportunity. The number of plays 
possible from the kick formation warrants his 
remaining near the scrimmage line. In this in- 
stance good judgment is a sheer necessity, for 
supposing the opponents have eight or ten 
yards to make on the third or fourth down it is 
almost certain that they will punt, if they are 
in their own territory and they have not been 
gaining consistently. In this case the full- 
back should drop back about ten or fifteen yards 
from his regular defensive position and en- 
deavor to get into the interference for the 
** running back " of the punt. 

The Art of Kicking 

Ability to punt, place-kick, or drop-kick is one 
of the most valuable assets a fullback can pos- 
sess. It takes years of practice and patience to 
develop one's eye and boot and to instill suf- 



108 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

ficient self-confidence to kick successfully from 
behind the line of scrimmage. The young 
aspirant may labor along ignorantly and won- 
der why his efforts bring no apparent success. 
Men who have worked consistently with the 
kicking game for years may suddenly find them- 
selves in a so-called ^^ slump in kicking,'' From 
personal experience I have found that this is 
entirely due to the kicker's failure to keep in 
mind small details. 

The holding of the ball just prior to the in- 
stant of kicking is perhaps the greatest secret 
in the art of kicking. If held properly it is most 
surprising how great a distance may be gotten 
with but comparatively little effort. On the 
whole the ^* spiral " is the most effective kick 
for distance but not always the most advan- 
tageous. A kicker must vary his kicks, consid- 
ering the wind, the ability of the opponents to 
'^ run back kicks," and the territory in which 
he is playing. In saying this I presuppose that 
the player or kicker has ability to drop his kicks 
approximately where he wishes them to fall. 

I would advise the lad who is desirous of 
learning how to kick to think and reason out 
the best way to kick the ball. Keep in mind the 
relative position of shoe and ball, the point of 
impact on both, and decide for yourself the rel- 
ative merits of a short, choppy swing of the leg 
to meet the ball or a long ^' follow through " 
swing. I taught myself how to punt and believe 




BRICKLiEY KICKING OKE OF HIS FIVE SUCCESSFUL, FIELD-GOALS 
IK THE HARVAKD-YALE GAME, 1913. KOTE THE PERFECT 
PROTECTION GIVEN THE KICKER BY TEAM-MATES. 




GUERNSEY SCORING FOR YALE BY A DROP-KICK, HARVARD-YALE 

GAME, 1913. NOTE THAT ALTHOUGH PROTECTION OF KICKER 

IS FAIR, THE BALL WAS NEARLY BLOCKED BY 

THE HAllVAKD KKJHT TACKLE. 




THE FAKE KICK, TO PROTECT KICKER. HARVARD-YALE GAME, 1913. 

BRICKLEY DROPPED BACK AS TF TO TRY FOR A GOAL. BRADLEE 

WAS GIVEN THE BALL AND GAINED EIGHTEEN YARDS. ON 

THE NEXT PLAY BRICKLEY SCORED A FIELD GOAL. 



THE DROP-KICK 



HOW TO PLAY FULLBACK 109 

any young fellow can do likewise with equal 
success if lie follows the above general sugges- 
tions. Hard and fast rules for kicking cannot 
be laid down. If the aspirant has football sense 
he can reach conclusions for himself and in a 
short time marked improvement in his efforts 
will be noted. 

Drop-kicking and place-kicking are seldom 
done equally well by the same kicker. Each 
requires an entirely different form of kicking 
and I would advise the beginner to take up one 
or the other, rather than both. 

Place-kicking ability can be acquired by con- 
sistent practice with both kicker and holder 
using thought and foresight. Apparently it is a 
difficult matter to place-kick and most of us are 
inclined to feel discouraged at repeated fail- 
ures. The first and most important phase of 
place-kicking is the time available to accom- 
plish it. A fraction of a second must be thor- 
oughly appreciated in order that the ball may 
be kicked clear of scrimmage before the defense 
can get within blocking distance. The kicker 
must cultivate confidence in his snapper-back 
and holder to such an extent that he should 
have his swing under way to meet the ball be- 
fore it reaches the holder's hands. 

Carrying the Ball 

A fullback must be able, and know how, to 
carry the ball both in end running and through 



110 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

the line. End running requires that the player 
carrying the ball be quick to pick his openings, 
ward off pending tackles, and primarily he must 
have ability to run and to know how to use his 
speed. In the majority of cases the fullback is 
not called upon to carry the ball on end plays. 
This has arisen from the fact that in the old 
style of games the fullback was used for plun- 
ging especially, and no dependence was placed 
upon his end-running possibilities. With the 
new game, however, the fullback must perform 
all the duties of a halfback. In fact, there is 
little to distinguish these two positions now. 

It is difficult to lay down any ironclad rule as 
to how a fullback should carry the ball in line 
plays. In off-tackle plays, the ball may be 
safely carried in the ordinary side forearm 
position. Inside of tackle it is apparent that 
the danger of losing the ball increases. I be- 
lieve that the safest way is to carry the ball 
with both arms across the front of the body, 
holding the ball by its ends and against the 
upper part of the abdomen. In running I sug- 
gest that the knees be carried up as far as pos- 
sible, giving a sort of reciprocating motion, 
chest well forward and head erect. The greater 
momentum the fullback has on hitting the line 
the greater are the chances of success for the 
play. 

Again I state that it is a difficult matter to 
lay down any set of rules which the beginner is 



HOW TO PLAY FULLBACK 111 

to follow. Football simply amounts to apply- 
ing a little common sense to physical ability. If 
you don't use your brains in football you never 
will succeed at it or derive the pleasures which 
participation in the game holds in store. 

It is a strenuous game and some of the les- 
sons it teaches are dearly learned, but it is 
worth the while. Play " cleanly/' no matter 
what the irritation is that may tempt you to 
play otherwise. Play to win, but, in defeat, ac- 
cept your lot in the true spirit of sportsman- 
ship. 



THE PLAY OF THE BACKS 

BY PEKCY L. WENDELL 

Properly speaking, the term, backs, refers to 
the quarter-back, the two halfbacks, and the 
fullback. This article, however, will deal only 
with the three latter positions. These three 
backs, as we shall learn, are closely associated 
in everything that they do. On the offense they 
alternate in carrying the ball and in making in- 
terference for one another, while on the de- 
fense, at least two of them, and sometimes all 
three, are called upon to help the rush-line and 
at the same time cover forward passes. 

First of all, a back should enter into his work 
with the proper spirit. Unless he is willing to 
subordinate his personal wishes to the general 
welfare of the team, and what is more, to do so 
heartily and enthusiastically, he cannot hope 
ever to be a great player, even though he have 
marked individual ability along every line of 
play. Team-play is the essence of successful 
football, and he who is looking first of all to his 
own interests will never make a ** team '* 
player. 

112 




CAPTAIN WENDELL OF HARVARD MAKING A GOOD GAIN IN HARVARD- 
DARTMOUTH GAME, 1912. WENDELL IS BOWLING OVER A 
WOULD-BE TACKLER IN CHARACTERISTIC STYLE. 




WILSON OF YALE RUNNING BACK A KICK FOR 35 YARDS IN HARVARD- 
YALE GAME, 1913. WILSON HAS JUST REVERSED HIS FIELD AND 
THROWN HARVARD TACKLERS OFF THEIR BALANCE. 



PLAY OF THE BAC^KS 



THE PLAY OF THE BACKS 113 

A back who can run, kick, and pass is an ideal 
back, and although a back may not be able to 
learn to run well with the ball, the average back 
can learn to kick and pass. Backs should have 
enough practice in passing the ball to feel at 
home with it. They should learn to throw it 
with accuracy and speed. Every year sees an 
improvement in throwing the ball, which shows 
that it is practice that makes a player better 
able to throw it. To kick is difficult and takes 
much time and hard work, but a good kicker is 
a very valuable man, and time spent on learning 
to kick is time well spent. 

Carrying the ball is the main function of the 
backs, of course, hence the need of knowing the 
way to hold the ball. For end runs, one end of 
the ball should be tucked under the arm — not 
too far under so that it can be knocked out — 
while the other end should be firmly grasped 
and covered with the hand. In bucking, the ball 
should be held against the stomach with a hand 
on each end. After the line has been pierced 
either hand may be taken off to ward away the 
tackier. The grip on the ball should always be 
firm, yet it is often well to shift it from one side 
to the other so that the arm toward the oppo- 
nent may be free. Use both hands to shift the 
ball, always holding it firmly. 

To interfere is, in the new game, a big factor. 
To tell a back how to do this is very difficult. It 
is well to throw yourself at the opponent's 



114 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

knees with all tlie power you can muster. This 
method is effective if the opponent is advancing 
or standing still. If he is retreating, as an end 
should do at times, the back is in a difficult posi- 
tion, and the only thing to do is to keep him 
going and not let him pass by on either side. 
The essentials of good interfering are to keep 
low, go hard, and be fierce. 

No back can be effective who does not start 
quickly. An offense which is so slow in reach- 
ing its objective as to allow a concentration of 
opponents at that spot before the play hits is 
worthless. The attack must be quick and hard. 
For this reason backs should constantly prac- 
tise getting off quickly. The ^^ sprint start '' 
position with only one hand on the ground — 
and that only sufficiently to steady the runner 
— is a very good way to start. In general, 
backs should exercise extreme care to prevent 
unevenness in starting. A slow man may spoil 
the entire backfield. 

The work of a back is very tiring under 
the new rules, and therefore he must be 
in good condition — full of life and vigor and 
light on his feet. The offensive position of 
the backs will depend upon the style of game 
that is adopted. The possibilities of forma- 
tions are never ending. Whatever the system, 
the backs should always assume the same rela- 
tive position to each other, precision being ab- 
solutely necessary to well-developed team work. 



THE PLAY OF THE BACKS 115 

Furthermore, this position should be assumed 
as soon as possible after the ball is down. 
When in position just previous to starting, the 
backs should take every precaution to prevent 
giving away the direction of the play by uncon- 
scious glances, movements, or '^ leanings." A 
back should, however, key himself up internally 
just before starting and go off with a plunge 
and keep ^^ digging,'' never letting up an in- 
stant for anything. 

The Offense 

In end running, a back should be careful not 
to run too close to his interference when, in case 
the interference is upset, he is likely to fall over 
his protectors. Instead, he should run with an 
interval of not less than two yards between him- 
self and his interference, thus giving himself a 
chance to see where they are going, and to take 
instant advantage of any upset. 

In plunging, one of the very important points 
to be kept in mind is that of keeping the eyes 
open. A back who closes his eyes as he makes 
his plunge is likely to fall flat on his face when 
an opening in the line presents itself suddenly 
where he had expected to find the passage 
choked. A back should never allow himself to 
slow up on reaching the line. Strike it at max- 
imum speed. It is well for a back to crouch in 
bucking, or, perhaps better to double np, ma- 



116 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

king himself a plough with head and shoulders 
as the point. Worm yourself along, turning the 
body from the waist up, but keeping the rest 
of the body aiming straight ahead or the power 
of your attack will be lost. Lift the knees well 
up and try to prevent the tackier from getting 
his arm into your waist by blocking it with your 
knees. The minute a back is through the line 
he should open up a little, if an opponent is not 
right on him, and look for an open place, in the 
meantime warding off players with his shoul- 
der or straight arm. On approaching the line 
keep the back stiff so that the opponents will be 
driven back; thus they cannot straighten the 
back up. Just because a player has his hands 
on a back, the back should not slow up, but 
should keep on digging, and if caught should 
force himself forward when falling. 

In case a back feels any doubt about the sig- 
nal for a play he should at once call out ** Sig- 
nal! " Otherwise, collisions, fumbles, and con- 
fusion will result. No matter what a back 
thinks, he should invariably carry out the sig- 
nal, appearing to have absolute confidence in 
the quarter-back. 

Another rule which should invariably be fol- 
lowed is that of never running back — a back 
should never lose ground. If a back fumbles 
he should fall on the ball at once, never attempt- 
ing to pick it up unless it bounces high. A back 
is responsible for a ball if it comes to him well, 



THE PLAY OF THE BACKS 117 

and he should always remember that the pos- 
session of it is of the first importance. 

It is the halfback's duty to afford proper 
protection to his kicker. He should always be 
reliable in getting any particular opponent who 
may be assigned to him out of the play. 

In the midst of play, whether on the defense 
or o:ffense, the backs should seek to encourage 
each other by a word, a touch or a look. Such 
simple though effective aids to thorough har- 
mony between them should never be overlooked. 
A hearty word of confidence spoken immedi- 
ately after a bad fumble or other blunder will 
always cause the unfortunate player to put new 
life and determination into his work, while a 
bit of cutting sarcasm will drive him to anger 
or else dishearten him. 

Under the new rules the backs on the defense 
hold an important and difficult position. They 
have to be in two places at once. They are re- 
sponsible for men who break through the line 
and must stop them before they make a sub- 
stantial gain, and they are responsible for all 
forward passes. The defensive back must be 
awake. He should keep his eye on the ball and 
advance as he sees the opposing back charge 
into the line. He must be careful not to commit 
himself too soon. When the opposing back has 
practically hit the line, the defensive back 
should immediately advance with more speed, 
but not so fast that the back with the ball will 



118 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

be able to dodge him if he breaks through the 
defensive line. 



The Defense 

In general, the position of the defensive back 
should be between his tackle and end, and about 
seven or eight yards back of the line of scrim- 
mage. He should vary his position so the op- 
posing quarter will not know where to find him 
or where he is going to be. The fullback as a 
rule plays two yards or so in back of the line 
of scrimmage, but the formations on the de- 
fense, like the formations on the offense, vary 
and are unlimited in number. 

In the backfield, the main duty of the back is 
the handling of kicks, and it is one of the most 
trying functions of all in football. Under the 
new rules, however, a back can let the ball fall 
to the ground and then pick it up or call it down 
as he chooses. In this the new rules take away 
a big and difficult factor of the game. It means 
also that only one back need be kept back what- 
ever the conditions may be. 

When the ball is picked up or caught the back 
must pay attention to the opposing ends the 
moment he has the ball. He should not, how- 
ever, take his eyes off the ball until he has it in 
his hands, and in watching the ball as it comes 
down, the back can tell to some extent how it 
will bounce, especially if it is a spiral. 



THE PLAY OF THE BACKS 119 

In dodging, a back should dodge as little and 
as quickly as possible. It is no game to stop 
and then start again, or to run zigzag down the 
field. The back must run as straight as possible 
and make his dodges at as high a speed as pos- 
sible. It is not wise to run slowly so that a 
dodge is easier ; always run at top speed what- 
ever the situation and slow down here and there 
to side-step or fool the tackier. It is often well 
to slow down and then sprint away again, but 
this is only good when one tackier is attempting 
to tackle the back. Good dodging is not com- 
plete unless there is added to it the power to 
use the arms well. A back should never run 
back. 



HOW TO PLAY HALFBACK 

BY JAMES THORPE 

In order to fill tlie position of halfback satis- 
factorily the player must be heavy-set, and of 
medium weight. The large player is, of course, 
in demand, but activity, strength, and speed are 
prime requisites for success as a halfback. The 
backfield candidate must be closely knit so that 
he can stand the knocks, should be quick to 
think and act, and above all, fearless. The back, 
more than any other player, must be thoroughly 
drilled in the rudiments of the game. He must 
be especially adept at handling and falling on 
the ball, interfering, tackling, punting, and 
catching punts. To be a successful ground- 
gainer requires cleverness in dodging opposing 
tacklers and skill in the use of the stiff-arm. 

The halfback's position, when his team is in 
possession of the ball, will vary according to 
the formation used. Ordinarily his place is 
from four to five yards back of the scrimmage 
line, and a good arm's length from the fullback, 
who stands behind the center. A back on the 
offensive should stand with his feet about two 
feet apart, and with one, or better still with 

120 



HOW TO PLAY HALFBACK 121 

both hands on the ground, with his head up and 
with no part of his body higher than his head 
and shoulders. The feet should be about even 
with each other. While playing halfback the 
foot nearest the fullback may be a little back 
of the outside foot, bringing the player into the 
position of a runner upon his mark, except that 
his legs are farther apart. The halfback ^s 
weight should be borne equally by his feet and 
hands. If the player places himself upon a two- 
foot square, his feet planted upon the rear cor- 
ners and his hands resting upon the forward 
corners, with his shoulders almost directly over 
his hands and his knees almost touching his el- 
bows, he will find himself in the proper position. 
Thus he may start quickly forward, or to the 
right or left. This position or style of the of- 
fensive backs was first introduced by the In- 
dians when they defeated Columbia University 
45 to on Thanksgiving Day, 1899, and has 
since been adopted by every team of promi- 
nence in the country. 

When in position the back should watch the 
ball, and start the instant it is snapped or the 
starting signal given. If he is to take it outside 
of tackle, he should receive it upon the run, and 
quickly place it under the arm which is farthest 
away from the greatest number of hie oppo- 
nents, so that he can use the other arm to ward 
off tacklers. One end of the ball should be 
placed between the arm and body with the hand 



122 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

grasping the other end. On plays through the 
line the back should, as a rule, hold the ball 
against his body or under one arm with both 
hands, otherwise there is danger of his arm 
being jerked away from the ball. Thus there 
is less possibility of the back losing the ball 
while forcing his way through a mass of play- 
ers. Now that the rules permit the first man 
receiving the ball to run with it without cross- 
ing the line five yards from the center, there is 
much more direct passing from center to backs, 
and therefore the backs need much practice in 
receiving the ball on the run in order to avoid 
disastrous fumbles. 

On end runs or plays outside of tackle, the 
back carrying the ball should follow his inter- 
ference closely as long as it affords him pro- 
tection and not depend upon his individual ef- 
forts. He should turn towards the opponents' 
goal whenever he sees an opening and not try 
to circle the end unless he is reasonably sure 
of being successful. A wide run of this kind 
usually results in no gain or a big loss, whereas 
a quick turn straight down the field will usually 
gain something, and at least not result in a loss. 
In trying to avoid tacklers I find from my ex- 
perience that the man carrying the ball should 
use his free arm to push the would-be tacklers 
out of his way. Meet them on the head, shoul- 
ders, or neck with the heel of the open hand and 
the arm rigidly straight. At the same time 



HOW TO PLAY HALFBACK 123 

swing the legs and body as far from the tackier 
as possible. When tackled, the runner should, 
if possible, fall toward the opponents' goal and 
work his way forward until held or the whistle 
is blown. 

A back must remember that his part in nearly 
every play when another carries the ball is just 
as important as when he himself carries it. 
Some backs are inclined to run hard when they 
carry the ball, and rest up or make a feeble 
effort when some one else is trying to advance 
it. Such a player should not be tolerated on any 
team. Blocking and interfering are fully as 
much of a back's duties, and as valuable a part, 
as carrying the ball. 

The Defensive Halfback 

On defense the positions and duties of backs 
vary under different systems of play. In one 
system of defense quite generally used the half- 
backs are stationed about three yards back of 
the scrimmage line, and just outside the tackles. 
Another style of defense places the halfbacks 
about ^YQ yards outside of the tackles and 
about two or three yards back from the line. 
In both systems the backs move to the right or 
left if the opponents use a side formation. In 
the first system the halfbacks are supposed to 
back up the line and guard against all running 
plays of the opponents, while the fullback 



124 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

watches for forward passes. The halfback in 
the other style of play looks out for kicks and 
passes as well as other plays, being in an espe- 
cially good position to stop end runs or plays 
outside of tackle. 

The defensive backs should all stand with 
their feet about two feet apart and their hands 
upon their knees so as to be able to start quickly 
in any direction. They should watch the oppo- 
sing backs closely, and if they form on one side 
of the line notify the rest of their team as the 
linemen are watching the ball and may not 
notice the formation of the opposing backs. 
The defensive backs shift with the opposite of- 
fensive formation so as always to be in the same 
relative position to the center of the offensive 
strength of their opponents, no matter where 
the ball may be. The backs should watch the 
heads of the opposing backs because their heads 
will be the first part to move and indicate the 
direction of the play. If the play is aimed at 
the line, it should be met hard and low. If there 
is a hole opened for the runners, do not wait for 
the play to come through but dive into the open- 
ing and nail the runner, or spill the man in front 
of him before he has reached the line. Every 
play should be quickly headed off whether go- 
ing forward, back or around the opposite end. 

Hard-tackling defensive backs, who get into 
every play, are a most powerful factor in any 
team's defense. On the best teams the backs 



HOW TO PLAY HALFBACK 125 

are chosen as much for their defensive ability 
as for their skill in carrying the ball and inter- 
fering. 

Kicking is naturally part of the duties of a 
finished back. Almost any player can acquire 
accuracy and fairly good distance in punting 
by practice and study. Care should be taken 
not to practise too much early in the season, as 
the leg is liable to become sore and lame for the 
rest of the season. This occurs for the same 
reason that a ball-player 's arm goes wrong, and 
it is no easy matter to get the leg in shape again 
when straining or overdoing has once injured 
it. The spiral punt, which is now universally 
used because a ball kicked in this way goes 
farther, can with practice be punted just as 
accurately, and is much harder to catch. In 
order to get the necessary distance, and punt 
the spiral with accuracy, some practice should 
be devoted to it every day and great attention 
should be paid to form. It is correct form to 
hold the ball as far away from the body as pos- 
sible, directly in front of the kicking foot, with 
one hand on each side of it and the outer point 
of the ball slightly lower than the end nearest 
the body, at the same time taking a short step 
forward with the kicking foot. Then take a 
regular step with the other foot, drop the ball 
so that it falls without turning, and meet it with 
the instep of the kicking foot about two and 
one-half feet from the ground. The foot should 



126 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

be extended, and the leg should swing mostly 
from the hip and but little at the knee. The 
punt should be followed through with the leg as 
far as possible with the body bent backward so 
as to get the full weight into the kick. 

Kicking Goals 

The place-kick is used in several different 
ways: for goal-kicking after touchdowns and 
fair catches, for kicking goals from the field 
from scrimmage formation, and in kicking oif . 
The place-kick from scrimmage formation is 
easier to develop than the drop-kick, can be 
gotten off quicker and, in my opinion, is more 
accurate and better suited to kicking field goals. 
The player who is to receive the ball should 
kneel on his left knee about seven or eight yards 
from the center, and facing to the left, that is 
if the holder is right-handed and the kicker uses 
his right foot. The holder should mark the spot 
on the ground where he intends to place the ball 
to enable the kicker to get his aim and position. 
Upon receiving the ball he should quickly place 
it upon the spot he has marked. Eeceiving and 
placing the ball is an important part in place- 
kicking from scrimmage and must be practised 
fully as much as the kick itself. The kicker 
should not kick any harder than is necessary to 
get the ball over the bar. When placed the ball 
jahould be in a perpendicular position. 



HOW TO PLAY HALFBACK 127 

In judging punts the catcher should always 
have in mind the direction and velocity of the 
wind and the effect it will have upon the ball. 
He should regulate his position and distance 
from the kicker with this and the ability of the 
opposing punter in mind. Any player of good 
common sense would remember this, but there 
is another thing to consider which few players 
remember in judging punts. This is the effect 
of the air upon the course of the ball, and espe- 
cially its effect upon spiral punts. There are 
two kinds of spirals commonly punted: one 
where the long axis upon which the ball re- 
volves maintains the same relative position 
with regard to the ground throughout its 
course; the other where the axis gradually 
varies its position and follows the course of the 
ball, keeping its front end always pointed in the 
direction in which it is going, like the head of 
an arrow. 

The two kinds of punts or spirals travel 
through the first half of their course practically 
alike, and it is only in the last half, or after the 
ball begins to descend, when the difference in 
their position with reference to their course be- 
comes apparent, and causes the air resistance 
to affect them differently. The ball which keeps 
the front end pointed in the direction of its 
flight will carry farther, because of less resist- 
ance to the air. But this is not the only reason. 
The ball in descending will tend to fall in the 



128 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

direction toward which its lower end points, 
since that is the direction or line of least re- 
sistance. Consequently the ball which main- 
tains the same position with reference to the 
ground throughout its course will, in descend- 
ing, not only meet more air resistance but will 
tend to slide down on the air in the direction 
pointed to by its rear end. On the other hand, 
the ball which keeps its end pointed in the di- 
rection of its course, exposes the smallest pos- 
sible surface to the air throughout its course 
and consequently the air resistance is less, and 
it will travel faster and farther than will a 
round ball following a normal course. 

Catching Punts 

The catcher should, therefore, watch the ball 
in its course and be governed in getting under 
it by the direction towards which its lower end 
is pointing while descending. When the spiral 
descends with its forward end nearest the 
ground, the catcher will understand that the 
ball will carry much farther than it will when 
it descends with its rear end inclined down- 
ward. "When the punt is judged correctly the 
catching of it is simply and easily accomplished, 
providing the player practises faithfully, and 
has obtained a correct knowledge of how it is 
done. 

I have observed a great many coaches teach- 



HOW TO PLAY HALFBACK 129 

ing their backs to catch punts by forming a sort 
of a pocket with their arms, body, and the thigh 
of one leg, into which the ball is supposed to 
fall and be held by the arms. I believe this 
method is not the best form, and that very few 
players catch punts that way, even when 
coached to do so. My observation and experi- 
ence have convinced me that the best, simplest, 
and surest method of catching punts, is simply 
to pin the ball to the body with the hands the 
instant it lands there. The hands should be 
extended towards the ball as it is descending, 
so as to come down to the body with the ball, 
and no attempt should be made to catch the ball 
with the hands alone, except in cases where the 
ball has to be caught very close to the ground, 
or above the head. 

An important fact to remember in catching 
punts is that the eyes should not leave the ball 
an instant until it is caught. Many punts are 
fumbled because players take their eyes off the 
ball an instant to see where the opposing ends 
are and in what direction to run, and this habit 
usually proves disastrous. While watching the 
ball descend the catcher can usually see out of 
the corner of his eye where his opponents are, 
and in what direction to run or have a better 
start. Whether he can or not, the catching of 
the ball is the all-important matter to attend to 
first, the running of it back being an after con- 
sideration. The punt having been caught, un- 



130 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

less it is a fair catch, the ball should be quickly 
placed under the arm, and the player should 
start quickly and at top speed towards the op- 
ponents' goal. Let no time be lost in looking 
for an opening or in dodging back and forth 
across the field. 

Usually the best plan is to shoot straight 
ahead. Dodging back and forth looks pretty, 
and eluding several tacklers may create some 
enthusiasm among the spectators who know 
little about the game, but the opposing forces 
are gathering all the time, and such tactics 
usually result in no gain or a loss. The player 
is not raised any in the estimation of the coach, 
or of those who understand and appreciate good 
football. 

TacMing 

No player should hope to be placed upon a 
team unless he is a good tackier. This is one 
of the most important rudiments of the game 
which every player should thoroughly master. 
It tests a player's nerve more than anything 
else he has to do, and a sure, fearless tackier 
is valuable to any team, no matter what his 
other qualifications may be. Innumerable 
games have been saved by a well-executed 
desperate leap at an opponent speeding for the 
coveted goal. Practice, head-work, and nerve 
are necessary in acquiring ability in this im- 



HOW TO PLAY HALFBACK 131 

portant feature of football. Different methods 
of tackling should be used for different situa- 
tions, and these should be practised and thor- 
oughly mastered. A man coming straight at a 
tackier should be met squarely with the shoul- 
ders just above the knees. The tackier should 
drive his body forward by straightening his 
legs, keeping his feet on the ground. His 
straight body and legs present a solid brace 
which the momentum of the oncoming player 
cannot topple over. If correctly met, the mo- 
mentum of the man tackled, thus meeting a 
solid brace, will lift him off his feet, and the 
tackier can carry him back to the ground with 
his shoulders in the pit of his stomach. 

While this is the ideal way to meet an on- 
coming man with the ball, it more often hap- 
pens that the runner will try to pass to the right 
or left, and therefore a player should be able 
to take with equal ease a runner passing either 
to the right or left of him. The correct method 
of tackling in such cases is not to depend upon 
the shoulder, but more upon the body. The 
player, with all the power and speed possible, 
should shoot his body across the path of the 
runner, grasping both legs and pinning them 
tightly to his breast. It is well to go farther 
than it seems necessary, because the runner 
may partly hold the tackier back by his free arm 
and at the same time try to get his legs farther 
away from him. If he tackles from the side by 



132 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

the shoulder, unless lie knocks the runner over, 
the tackier will only have his arms to stop him 
with, and often the runner can free himself and 
continue his course. Some players have the 
fault of grasping one leg in each arm, while the 
correct method is to pin both legs firmly to- 
gether with the arms locked. A tackier should 
remember that, as a rule, a hard tackle hurts 
the opponent more than it does the tackier, and 
when met fiercely a few times a runner is in- 
clined to slow up and try to save himself. On 
the other hand, if the tackier shows signs of 
fear, or weakens, the runner will come at him 
more fiercely each time. 

In practising tackling, it is well to keep the 
hands closed so as to learn to depend upon the 
body and arms. It is too often the case that 
tacklers depend upon securing a grasp upon the 
runner's clothes or legs with their hands. It is 
better to reach too far, in intercepting a runner, 
than not far enough, because some part of the 
body will then bring the runner down. Nine 
times out of ten a tackier who runs up to the 
runner and attempts to grab him without using 
the low, crouching attack will be warded off by 
the stiff arm. The low crouch and the hard leg 
drive are necessary to enable the tackier to get 
under and break down the runner's guard. 
Tackling is a knack easily acquired by some 
players and difficult to learn for others, but 
when once learned it is never forgotten. No 



HOW TO PLAY HALFBACK 133 

team can make many long runs or run up a 
large score against a team whose men are all 
good tacklers, and nervy, no matter how much 
they may be outclassed. 



KICKING 



BY EDWARD W. MAHAN 



Every punter will have his own peculiar way 
of going through the motions of kicking. Some 
depend upon power to send the ball away on a 
long flight, while others rely upon skill. Great 
strength is not a requisite for first-class punt- 
ing, although when combined with other quali- 
ties it is a valuable asset. Most of the best 
punters have been tall men of the rangy type. 
In the days of medieval football such men as 
Haughton, Dewitt, and Brooke were all over 
six feet tall. In late years the best kickers have 
been tall with long slender legs. Foremost 
among the men of this class were Burr, Coy, 
Felton, Flynn, and the younger Dewitt. There 
are several reasons why a tall, rangy man 
should make the best sort of punter. In the 
first place he makes a good target for the center 
to pass the ball to. Such men usually have long 
arms and are able to reach passes that smaller 
men could not touch. Then, their legs are 
longer and they can get a long sweeping swing 
at the ball. Again, their feet are larger and 

134 




E. W. MAHAN OF HARVARD PUNTING. 



KICKING 135 

offer a larger surface on the instep for striking 
the ball. Finally, the tall man meets the ball 
with his foot a matter of a few inches higher 
from the ground than does the short man, and 
these few inches count immensely when ag- 
gressive linemen are continually pressing the 
kicker. 

The distance which the punter should retreat 
from the line of scrimmage when he is about to 
kick should be determined by the circumstances. 
At the beginning of a game he should stand 
fully ten yards behind the ball. It is danger- 
ous to go back farther than ten yards since this 
gives the opposing ends a straight course 
towards the punter's foot. After the first few 
punts the kicker should know if he is being 
pressed by his opponents and if his kicks are 
in danger of being blocked. If the opposing 
linemen are not aggressive and do not threaten 
to block a kick, the punter need not retreat so 
far back of the line of scrimmage. Eight or 
nine yards will suffice in this case, but it is not 
advisable to approach nearer than eight yards. 
If he is kicking from behind a balanced line, 
when there are three men on each side of the 
center, he should stand directly, behind the cen- 
ter. But if the line is unbalanced he should 
take up a position behind the man in the center 
of the line. If there are four men on the right 
side of the center and two on the left he should 
stand behind the player on the right-hand side 



136 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

of the center, who under ordinary conditions 
would be the right guard. 

Three of the members of the backfield form 
protection for the kicker, two on the side of his 
kicking foot and one on the other side. The two 
backs on the side of the punter's foot stand in 
line directly behind the guard on that side. 
When the play is about to start, the first back 
should be at arm's length from the guard and 
the second at arm's length from the first. From 
these positions they may run the ball through 
any part of the line or around the ends. The 
formation is especially strong for line plays. 
When the ball is snapped back for a kick these 
men immediately break back about three yards 
each so that one is back about seven yards and 
the other directly in front of him. It is essen- 
tial for these men to stand one behind the other 
and close together, shoulder to shoulder. Their 
feet should be on a straight line and their bod- 
ies turned towards the side-line. If the punter 
kicks with his right foot the line of scrimmage 
should be on their left. They should be in a 
crouching position ready to spring. From this 
position they can get the use of the full length 
of their bodies in blocking. Usually the tackle 
and end on the side of the kicker's foot are the 
dangerous men. It is always well to force them 
to go on the outside of the kicker. The protect- 
ors should be careful not to let either of these 
men get between them. They must keep close 



KICKING 137 

together until they believe that the kicker is on 
the point of kicking the ball, then they may 
break, if necessary, and each ward off an oppo- 
nent. They must use their own judgment as to 
which are the most dangerous men. 

The quarter-back alone forms protection on 
the side away from the kicker's foot. When 
the ball is snapped he is either behind the snap- 
per-back or four yards back of the guard. If he 
is in position behind the center he can receive 
the ball from that player and feed it to one of 
the backs or run with it himself. When the ball 
is snapped for a kick he must wheel and run 
back to meet any opponent who might sift 
through the line. He also must not let the 
tackle or end get inside him. His method of 
blocking is similar to that used by the other 
two backs. 

The kicker should stand with his weight 
evenly distributed on both feet so as to be 
ready to jump in front of the ball if he should 
get a poor pass. He should tell his center just 
how and where he likes to receive the ball and 
insist upon getting the ball just as he likes. 
Never reach for a wide pass, always jump out 
in front of it. 

Some kickers stand with their kicking foot 
forward and other foot back, others take this 
step back just as the ball is about to reach them. 
The object of this is to get a good drive when 
stepping forward to kick. The next thing to be 



138 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

considered is the catching of the ball from the 
center. It should be caught as near the height 
from which it is to be kicked as possible. The 
ball may be caught at arm's length with the 
arms stiff. This is commonly called '' fighting 
the ball.'' The surest way is to meet the ball 
at arm's length and to give with it until it 
strikes the body. Next the ball is shoved out 
in front. All this time it is being revolved so 
that it will be in the proper position to drop to 
the foot. Most kickers have a habit of placing 
the ball so that the lacing is on the top or a 
little to the outside. A good football will go 
just as well if kicked on the lacing, and twist- 
ing the ball about in the hands takes time. 
Little time should be spent in catching the ball 
on the pass from the center and in placing it in 
position to be kicked, as every fraction of a 
second counts. The ideal way to punt is to 
kick the ball out of the hands, but very few are 
able to do this. At least the ball should be al- 
lowed to drop the shortest distance possible 
from the hands to the foot, since this is where 
most of the kicks go wrong. The slightest 
twist of the ball in its passage from the hands 
to the foot may be just enough to spoil the kick. 
Some kickers like to meet the ball high up on 
the instep, while others prefer to meet it on the 
instep nearer to the toes. The ball should be 
struck with the instep just a trifle on the out- 
side of the foot. There are two ways of drop- 



KICKING 139 

ping the ball on the instep. One is to drop it 
so it falls diagonally across the foot, and the 
other is to drop it so that its long axis points 
straight ahead. When the ball is dropped diag- 
onally across the foot the kicker must kick 
straight ahead. Meeting the ball in this way 
gives it a peculiar spiral twist. When the ball 
is held so that its axis points straight ahead the 
kicker must swing his foot across the ball to 
give it the spiral twist. The foot hits the ball 
on the bottom and cuts it, causing it to revolve. 

After the kicker has learned to place the ball 
on the foot properly and to kick it accurately 
there is a snap of the leg which he should learn. 
This snap permits the kicker to kick without 
much exertion and send the ball a good dis- 
tance. When the kicking leg is started forward 
to kick the ball it should not be held stiff, but 
just a trifle bent. Just as the ball meets the 
foot the leg should be snapped so as to 
straighten it out. This snap sends the ball 
farther than the power of the leg would be able 
to do. 

High kicks are harder to catch than low ones 
and the punter should bear this in mind. He 
should learn just how far his ends can run down 
the field to cover kicks and he should kick ac- 
cordingly. If they are slow he should kick 
high. If they are fast he should still kick 
high, but he may get more distance into it. He 
should learn to place the ball down the field 



140 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

accurately. This can be accomplished by trying 
to place the ball out of bounds at a certain point. 
Keep the spot at which you are aiming in mind, 
but keep the eye on the ball. 

The passing and catching of the ball as ex- 
plained above also apply in drop-kicking. The 
first difference comes in placing the ball in the 
hands. It is best' to get a low pass from the 
center so that no time is lost in pulling the ball 
down. The center should aim at a spot just 
above the right knee, provided the kicker is to 
kick with his right foot. The long axis of the 
ball must be held so that it is perpendicular to 
the ground. The right hand should be held on 
the back of the ball and the left hand on the 
side so as to guide it. Better results can prob- 
ably be obtained by tilting the ball slightly 
back in dropping it. 

The kick may be described as a quick shove. 
The toe is slightly pointed up and held rigid. 
Such a shove will send the ball over the bar 
from the thirty-five-yard mark. The kicker 
should practise kicking inside the twenty-five- 
yard line and should practise from all angles. 
He should above all things keep the goal-posts 
in mind and his eye on the ball. 

The place-kick also is more or less of a shove. 
The foot is held much the same as in drop-kick- 
ing. Here again the main rule to be remem- 
bered is to keep the goal-posts in mind and the 
eye on the ball. 



FOLLOWING THE BALL 

BY SANFOKD B. WHITE 

Each year, early in September, the candi- 
dates for the various elevens report, the coaches 
gather from various parts of the country, and 
everything is put in readiness for the coming 
season's work. The first few ** work-outs '' 
are of a very light order, for the summer 's rest 
and vacation have left the men in poor condi- 
tion, but during these first practices the men 
are taught the rudiments of the game, prepara- 
tory to their harder work later in the season. 
The rules are carefully gone over and dis- 
cussed, a few simple plays are rehearsed, and 
some of the fundamental principles hammered 
into the minds of the men. Of these elements 
none is more important, to my mind, than the 
one I have chosen for my subject, ** Following 
the Ball.'' 

Suppose we happen down some day early in 
October to see the men in one of their regular 
afternoon work-outs. We will choose any of 
the larger colleges, for it matters little which 
one we pick, as the practices are nearly all the 
same. The men report rather late in the day 

141 



142 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

in order to escape the noon heat, so about four 
o'clock we see players come straggling on the 
field. Usually* there has been a preliminary 
meeting held in the club-house, where the rules 
and various plays have been discussed, but we 
need not bother any more about that side of the 
work, but go, instead, right out on the field 
with the men themselves where we can hear and 
see everything. In one part of the field the can- 
didates are practising falling on the ball, per- 
haps at the other end the men are tackling the 
dummy, while the linemen can be seen working 
on the pushing-machine. All sorts of kicking 
will be tried, the punters are perfecting their 
long, high spirals, seeking to gain speed and 
direction in each kick; the place-kickers and 
drop-kickers, upon whose ability so much rests 
in the modern game of football, are peppering 
the goal-posts, striving in their work to gain the 
finish and perfection which late in the season 
may mean so much towards a victory or per- 
haps even a championship. 

In all this elementary work the coaches have 
been gi^^ng advice and supervision, but now, 
after an hour's practice of this sort of work, 
the men are called together and various teams 
picked out for signal drill. In this later prac- 
tice the individual playing is developed with 
the one aim of welding all eleven parts into a 
machine, and as we follow the men up and down 
the field oftentimes well hear some coach call 



FOLLOWING THE BALL 143 

out, ** Follow the ball." Can any better ad- 
vice be given to any man who is trying to make 
good on a college team, or on any football team 
in fact ? I surely know of none. Just think for 
a minute what those three words mean. If you 
follow the ball you follow the man who is carry- 
ing the ball, that is, when you are on the de- 
fensive. So you are always '' Johnny on the 
Spot," so to speak, and in a position where you 
can do the most good. 

Let us look into the thing a little closer and 
see the possibilities a man may have who plays 
with that one idea of keeping his eye glued on 
the ball. As we all know, there are two kinds 
of football, the offensive and the defensive 
game, and while this advice applies to both 
games it is more applicable to the defensive 
game. 

The linemen in the attacking game are not 
in the position to follow the ball as well as some 
of the other men, for they are usually making 
holes for the play to be run through, pushing 
aside the opposing men, or boxing them in. But 
in every play they should know where the play 
is going and, when their work is done, ** cut 
through " and get around the ball, forming in- 
terference for the runner. The backfield men, 
however, can, and should follow the ball unless 
they are sent in some direction different from 
that of the attacking point in hopes of deceiving 
their opponents. In this modern game where 



144 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

pusMng and pulling is forbidden they should 
constantly be on the watch for fumbles. There 
are bound to be fumbles in football, that is one 
small part of the sport which makes it the in- 
teresting game it is, and sometimes with these 
fumbles goes a victory. If every man is on the 
watch for just such an occurrence, is following 
it, and ready to fall on that ball, how much 
better chance there is for a recovery by one of 
the players on whose side the fumble was made ! 
Then there are kicks, kicks of all sorts, from 
which any circumstance may arise offering a 
chance to the man who is following the ball. A 
kick may be blocked and an alert man may re- 
cover it or tackle his opponent who has picked 
it up and is on his way to a touchdown. This 
very sort of play occurred in one of the big 
games in 1911 when Huntington of Harvard 
had broken through, blocked a kick, and was on 
his way to a score when tackled by Pendleton, 
captain of the Princeton team the next year. 
This one player's vigilance and watchfulness 
saved the game, for had Pendleton not followed 
the ball Huntington would in all probability 
have scored. 

On punts is a place where a man can prove 
his worth in following the ball. Perhaps the 
ball is dropped or fumbled by the man playing 
back, and it's anybody's ball. If the ends and 
the tackles are down the field and under that 
ball, why haven't they an even chance to fall on 



FOLLOWING THE BALL 145 

it and gain that much ground for their team? 
A play of this sort may change the whole game, 
it forces the fighting so much nearer the ene- 
mies' goal line, sometimes puts the team in a 
position to score a drop-kick or placement kick, 
and then again in some cases there is the pos- 
sibility that the ball may be picked up and the 
man make the score himself. In any of these 
cases one thing is necessary, the man must be 
on hand and he must follow the ball. We are 
not so apt to think of this recovered fumble as 
a gain of forty yards, assuming that the punt 
has gone that distance, but how does it differ 
so much from the gain of the dashing half- 
back who has skirted an end for a run of 
that length! It is not as spectacular from a 
spectator's point of view but it really makes 
no difference how the gain is made so long as 
it is made. They both amount to the same 
thing, both are an advance of forty yards 
towards the touchdown and the score, and 
that's precisely what those eleven men are 
striving and working for. 

In turning to the defensive play we see even 
greater chances offered to the team, all of 
whose eleven men follow the ball. In this style 
of play every man on the defense is in a posi- 
tion to watch the ball and to follow it. It is 
where the ball goes that the play goes; of 
course there are forward passes which must be 
guarded against, but by following the ball a 



146 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

team will win out in the end. There are all 
sorts of attack, and one very common is to 
shoot the first man in the tandem in a cross- 
buck, fake the pass to him to draw the defense 
towards him, but in reality run the second or 
third man straight through the line. Now if 
each man is awake and follows that ball, how 
can he be '* sucked in," as they call it in foot- 
ball terms ? Plays of this nature are constantly 
met and it's the man who keeps his eyes 
open, and tracks after that ball, who nine times 
out of ten stops the play, and prevents the gain. 
Then there are fumbles to be gotten, as in the 
offensive game, only in this case a fumbled ball 
gained means more than the recovered ball. It 
puts a team on the offense at once and some- 
times may result in a score. Big games have 
been won indirectly by the watchfulness of one 
man, whose getting a fumbled ball, insignificant 
in itself, was the real cause of the victory. It 
all resulted from his following the ball. Then 
there are * ^ series plays, ' ' where a man may be 
caught sound asleep by watching his opponent, 
but had he been alert and watching the ball in- 
stead of the man he would have been ready for 
the play in place of being caught off his guard. 
There are all the chances in the kicking game 
which I have mentioned in the outline of offen- 
sive playing, only in this ease the chances are 
even greater to those who are playing with the 
idea of following the ball. There are wrong 



FOLLOWING THE BALL 147 

signals, crossed signals, bad passes, and many 
other plays constantly offering chances to the 
wide-awake man so that by his own work and 
by his ever readiness to grab that ball he may 
not only stave off a score and defeat but score 
a victory by his own watchfulness. 

It matters very little whether your team is 
playing on the offense or the defense. You 
should know every second just exactly where 
the ball is, and at the same time should be try- 
ing to figure out where it will go. It is the 
team that plans or the player who plans that 
achieves success in playing the game. If your 
own team has the ball, of course the signal will 
tell you where it is going. But the signal does 
not tell you whether the ball is to be fumbled. 
Be ready for that. Let us suppose the ball is 
liot in play. It lies on the ground between the 
two opposing teams; your center's hands are 
on its cover. From the moment the signal is 
called, do not let your eyes wander from that 
ball if you can help it. See it when the center 
passes it to the quarter; see it till the play 
starts ; see it as long as you can, and if it hap- 
pens the play is going around the end of the 
line opposite to that you are playing on, you 
can keep it in view until it is downed. 

If you are watching, if you are ready, and 
the quarter fumbles the ball, you have the best 
chance of anybody to recover it, because you 
have been thinking about that very thing and 



148 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

are prepared to dive for it the minute it escapes 
your team-mate's grasp. It is this readiness 
that counts. 

But do not let your eyes do all the work. 
There is some left for your hands and legs and 
for all your body. Follow the ball with your 
eyes, but follow it with the rest of you as well. 
If a ball is fumbled a hundred feet from you, 
the fact that you see it roll on the grass will do 
little good. But if you are right there, watch- 
ful, ready to dive for it, that fact may mean 
just the difference between defeat and victory 
in an important game. 

If you are on the defensive, it is equally im- 
portant to follow the ball with eye and body. 
The end or half or tackle who knows every play 
is more valuable to his team than the best 
tackier in the world who loses track of the play, 
if only for an instant. Do not let that ball elude 
you for the tenth part of a second, for that in- 
finitesimal bit of time may give your opponents ' 
play just' the start it needs to make a big gain. 
If you know just who has the ball and which 
way he is running, no trick play can deceive 
you. 

Of course, every player and every team is 
eager for victory. It would be a very poor 
player and a very poor sportsman who went 
into a game not caring whether his team lost or 
won. If you really want to win, you must be 
willing to work and develop your skill, and the 



FOLLOWING THE BALL 149 

collective skill of your team. There is physical 
hard work about football, and there is mental 
hard work; not the least of which is watching 
the ball and trying to figure out what your op- 
ponents are going to do with it. It demands 
close attention; it demands that your thoughts 
do not wander to the crowds, or to the man you 
are playing against, or to anything but just 
that pigskin ball and where it is going to go. 
As soon as it starts get near it. Stay near it 
until it is downed. Maybe you cannot make the 
tackle, maybe you cannot seize the ball if it is 
dropped, but you may be able to make it possi- 
ble for a team-mate to tackle by breaking the 
interference, or you may be the means of al- 
lowing one of your own men to seize the ball by 
tumbling over an opponent who is headed for it. 

A great many games are won and lost on so- 
called ** flukes." But there are a great many 
of these startling, unexpected plays that are 
not accidents at all. One team wins because of 
them, and the other team loses, and for no other 
reason than that the lucky team had its men 
trained to follow the ball. 

I have very lightly touched upon a few of the 
possibilities offered by following the ball. I 
purposely have neglected the forward pass, but 
in this as in every other phase of the game a 
man must know where that ball is, and I think 
we will all agree that if you are with the ball 
you are ** in it," and that's where a man does 



150 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

the most good in this game of football — right 
** in it/^ and in the middle of it. If I were 
asked to give briefly the best advice I could give 
for playing football, I would quickly answer: 
Keep your wits about you, your eyes wide open, 
and follow that ball. 



TRACK ATHLETICS 



TRACK ATHLETICS 

With the resumption of the Olympic games 
and their establishment as the meeting-place of 
the athletes of all nations in competitive games, 
track and field athletics increased tremendously 
in popular favor, assuming a place unique in 
the world of sport. The rapid development in 
this country of such games as tennis, golf, and 
basket-ball had at one time threatened the 
popularity of track athletics. The Olympic 
games, afforded the stimulus needed to bring 
into track athletics the mass of latent mate- 
rial which the country possessed. As a result 
America stands to-day supreme in this branch 
of sport. Her athletes are admired the world 
over and her coaches sought as teachers in 
foreign lands. At home the ever increasing 
number of boys and men entering meets has 
had a splendid effect upon the youth of the 
country. Our big track meets, attended as they 
are by thousands of spectators and run off in 
an orderly, sportsmanlike way, are a tremen- 
dous factor in disseminating a healthy spirit of 
rivalry, fairness, and square play. No sport is 
more democratic or more easily freed from 
objectionable features. They offer opportunity 

153 



154 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

to thousands pf boys in running, jumping, 
vaulting, and deeds of strength with weights, 
all of which are so much a part of the life of 
the average boy. Their interest is but natural. 
Track athletics organized as they are in this 
country, with important meets held in every 
section, afford boys the opportunity of seeing 
good athletes in action and good coaches at 
work to an extent which is equalled in no other 
branch of sport, with the possible exception of 
baseball. There is, however, in this very width 
of opportunity the danger of overdoing compe- 
tition, and it becomes the duty of all interested 
in the welfare of the boys to see that they are 
carefully watched if they attempt strenuous 
competition during their developmental stage. 



HOW TO BECOME A SPEINTER 

BY MICHAEL C. MUEPHY 

One often hears it said nowadays tliat 
'' sprinters, like poets, are born, not made.'' 
In a measure this is a true statement, because 
it is just as natural for some men to outstrip 
their fellows in a foot-race, as it is for others 
to pass their mates in any mental or physical 
task. It would be a hopeless undertaking to try 
to develop a cart-horse into a trotter, for they 
are built for totally different purposes. So it is 
almost as hard to make sprinters out of some 
athletes. At the same time any man, no matter 
how slow he is, can improve his speed wonder- 
fully by constant practice and without any harm 
to himself. It requires a peculiar combination 
of strength, agility, and nervous energy to make 
a successful sprinter. But sprinting is some- 
thing that every man ought to learn, because in 
learning how to run one acquires the faculty of 
quick thinking and physical control. 

Before taking up the technical requirements 
of the sprinter, I want to correct a popular fal- 
lacy that, to be a successful sprinter, some par- 
ticular build is necessary. This is a big mis- 
take, for in the twenty-five years that I have 

155 



156 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

been training athletes I have seen and trained 
champions of nearly every conceivable build. 
Some were short of stature and inclined to be 
too heavy ; some very tall and thin, while others 
had what is generally considered an ideal phys- 
ical build. Consequently a man's shortness of 
stature is not proof that he cannot sprint, nor 
should he be dismayed if his physical dimen- 
sions run to the other extreme. 

If there is any advantage to either type of 
man, I should say that it lies with the one who 
is tall and strong. But what he should consider 
above all other things is whether he has the 
nervous energy that will enable him to leave 
his mark and get under way without the loss 
of a fraction of a second, and the strength to 
carry him through to the tape without a falter. 
In sprinting, as in no other athletic event, suc- 
cess depends upon the ability to get the maxi- 
mum return from every ounce of energy with- 
out the loss of any of it. To do this is an art 
that requires intelligent, determined and con- 
scientious training. 

There are three points of which the sprinter 
must make a scientific study if he expects to be 
a champion. These are: 1, The Start. 2, Get- 
ting into your stride. 3, Learning to finish. 

I, The Start 

Every successful sprinter nowadays uses the 
** crouching '* start. The standing start used 



HOW TO BECOME A SPRINTER 157 

for long-distance races is impracticable for the 
sprinter who needs to get away from the mark 
at top speed. The importance of a good start 
cannot be overestimated, for conditions being 
equal, a poor or slow start means certain de- 
feat. The athlete who has mastered the start 
can usually gain from a yard to two yards at 
the very beginning of his race on the man who 
has not mastered it. The crouching start was 
first used by me in professional work in 1880, 
and introduced in 1887 when C. H. Sherrill, of 
Yale, the intercollegiate champion, demon- 
strated it. Needless to say, he was laughed at 
when he got down on all fours, but to-day no 
good sprinter ever thinks of trying any other 
start. 

The object of a good start is to get off the 
mark and into your natural stride without the 
waste of strength or time. The first thing the 
runner should do is to dig the holes for start- 
ing. As no portion of the body can touch the 
ground in front of the starting line, the holes 
should be so dug that the runner can get as 
close to the starting-line as possible and yet be 
in a position to get away as naturally and as 
quickly as possible. To determine where to dig 
the holes the runner should first assume the cor- 
rect crouching position. First, get down on one 
knee. The knee of the back leg should be about 
even with the inner ankle of the forward foot. 
This is the position you should have, the back 



158 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

knee only being on the ground when the starter 
gives the first of his three signals, ** Get on 
your marks." With the next signal, which is 
'^ Get set,'' you rise on the hands and feet, lean- 
ing forward as far as possible. In this position 
you wait for the report of the pistol with which 
you spring forward. The runner should be 
most careful to keep his mind concentrated on 
the gun. If he thinks of anything else he is 
sure to lose an instant before he realizes that 
the race is on. 

As soon as you have found an easy, natural 
position for your crouch, you should dig small 
holes, which you can easily do with your spiked 
shoes, one hole for each foot. Be sure that 
these holes are deep enough and strong enough 
to give you a firm grip as you get your position. 
In preparing the holes they should be so located 
that the hands, which are on the starting-line, 
are not more than six inches in front of the for- 
ward foot. As the hands cannot be ahead of 
the starting-line, you will give away distance by 
having your feet farther back than I have indi- 
cated. Some runners with very long legs and 
arms give away more distance than this, but the 
positions I have indicated are best for the nor- 
mal man. Above all, see that you are well bal- 
anced and can get off your mark without a tend- 
ency to wabble. 

The most important part of the start is that 
of holding your body in perfect control after 



HOW TO BECOME A SPRINTER 159 

you have been told to get set, and while waiting 
for the pistol. Let the weight of the body rest 
on the front leg, a little forward, so that the first 
drive of the legs will send you forward and up- 
ward. It will be found that the fingers will be 
of great aid in keeping the body properly bal- 
anced and directing the first forward spring 
when the pistol is fired. At the same time be 
sure that you have enough weight on the back 
foot to keep it firmly in the hole, and remember 
that the spring should be off both feet. It will 
take some time to acquire the perfect control 
of the body that will enable you to wait for the 
pistol. Do not get into the habit of sw^inging 
back and forth. This will either make you go 
off the mark too soon and subject you to a pen- 
alty, or you will find yourself left at the mark. 
Also avoid the trick of some runners who aim 
gradually to move the body forward after get- 
ting set, on the assumption that they can time 
themselves to reach the farthest point forward 
just as the pistol sounds. This practice loses 
more races than it wins. 

II, Getting Into Your Stride 

The same careful attention to details must be 
observed after the start, for getting into your 
stride without loss of energy and without wab- 
bling is just as important as the correct start. 
As you rise from the mark you should spring 



160 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

forward with the impetus which your crouch 
gives you. Make it a point to run straight and 
true, always remembering that the straightest 
course is also the shortest. Many runners make 
the mistake of taking too long or too short 
strides at the first spring. Make it a point to 
take these first strides naturally and easily. 
You will be rising gradually and will have cov- 
ered twenty or twenty-five yards before you are 
running erect. Be careful not to try to get erect 
too quickly, or you will lose speed in conse- 
quence. In order to take your strides and pre- 
serve your equilibrium as you are rising, you 
should take these first few strides as easily and 
quickly as possible. Careful observation of 
these points will enable you to be running eas- 
ily when you get erect and you will be able to 
put every ounce of strength into your work. 

For the first few weeks of your training you 
will find that you will have plenty to do in mas- 
tering the start and getting into your stride. 
The third portion of your training, the final 
burst over the last quarter of your course, must 
be delayed until you have gotten sufficient 
strength and mastered the two essentials al- 
ready mentioned. No sprinter, whether his 
distance be one hundred yards or two hundred 
and twenty yards, should attempt to run 
through the full distance at anything like his 
best speed during the first three weeks of his 
training. This time should be devoted to prac- 



HOW TO BECOME A SPRINTER 161 

tising starts, learning to get into your stride 
quickly and naturally, with one or two jogs a 
day through your full distance, but not at your 
best speed nor a speed that will tire you too 
much. 

Sprinters should be careful to get as much 

out of their arms as possible. Make them help 

'the legs by ripping them forward and upward 

or by a good, hard cross motion. Never let 

your hands get behind your hips. 

It will require a great deal of careful prac- 
tice to master the start. You should try it half 
a dozen or more times a day, working at good 
speed for about twenty yards, then slowing 
down gradually. After a rest, conclude your 
day's work with a jog of one hundred and 
twenty or one hundred and fifty yards, though 
at about four-fifths speed. With a few weeks 
of this kind of training you will find that you 
are gradually mastering the start and that you 
are having no trouble to maintain your speed 
and equilibrium as you run into an erect posi- 
tion from twenty to twenty-five yards from the 
start. 

III. The Final Burst 

The candidate is now ready for some real 
speed work, which brings me to the third por- 
tion of his training. First of all, young sprint- 
ers, I would caution you not to overstride, even 



162 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

after you have gotten into your running. To 
do so will certainly cause you to overbalance 
and lose some of your speed. After you have 
learned the art of being natural in your stride, 
its length will adjust itself. Let your aim be to 
run naturally and use every ounce of your 
strength. Above all, keep your mind strictly on 
your own work, and do not allow yourself to be 
pulled out of your stride by your opponents. 

It is assumed that by this time the sprinter 
has been training for at least three weeks, and 
is ready for some speed work. During the 
third week the sprinter who is training for the 
one hundred yards dash should try himself out 
for one hundred yards against the watch. This 
will give him an idea of what he is doing, and 
at the same time show him whether or not he 
has enough strength to go the full distance. 
Probably he will experience a tightening of the 
muscles, or what athletes term a " tie-up '' in 
the last twenty-five or more yards of the run. 
Under such conditions the runner wabbles over 
the last quarter of his course and has difficulty 
in finishing. To correct this and enable him to 
go through the entire distance without slacken- 
ing his speed, and, above all, to have a final 
burst as he approaches the tape is the climax 
of his training. Nothing but conscientious 
work will enable him to overcome this weaken- 
ing. But practice will bring about the desired 
result, and soon his legs will be strong enough 



HOW TO BECOME A SPRINTER 163 

to carry him through the full distance without 
a let-up in his speed. 

After you have been training for three weeks 
and started to run trials at the end of three or 
four weeks, care should be exercised in keeping 
them down to no more than two a week. If it 
is possible to run them in a set of games, so 
much the better. I usually advise sprinters to 
limit their trials to about four-fifths the dis- 
tance of the race they expect to run. Thus if 
a man is training for one hundred yards he 
should confine most of his trials to eighty yards, 
going the full distance about once a week. By 
working out at his best speed for eighty yards 
he will depend upon the excitement of the con- 
test to carry him the remaining distance with- 
out a let-up in his speed, a theory that seldom 
fails. Sprinters should not underestimate the 
amount of training and hard work it requires 
to enable one to run one hundred yards in ten 
or even ten and one-fifth seconds. It takes long 
and faithful practice to enable one to get every 
ounce of strength into his running. 

The Two Hundred and Twenty Yards Bash 

The technical part of training for the two 
hundred and twenty yards dash is much the 
same as for the one hundred yards, but the 
longer race requires far greater endurance and 
more judgment. The start for the two hundred 



164 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

and twenty is much the same as for the one 
hundred yards, the same crouching start being 
necessary. The runner should jump into his 
stride as quickly as he can, and then let his legs 
do all the work without too much urging, and 
then if he has anything left for the finish he can 
put in his whole strength for the last twenty- 
five or thirty yards. Good judgment counts for 
everything in this race. No man can '' try '' 
all the way without tying up at the finish. 
Therefore the runner must learn by experience 
just how much power he can put on at the start. 
At the same time he must remember that he 
cannot loaf at any part of this distance. Most 
of the champions at this distance have been 
able to go a little further than the full two hun- 
dred and twenty yards. Sherrill, Wefers, 
Owen, Jewett, Schick, Lee, Tewkesbury, and 
Cartmell were all able to go three hundred 
yards. Therefore, after the runner has gotten 
into pretty fair shape, he should run a little 
over the distance, possibly twice a week. This 
will insure him with more strength for the 
finish. 

Without going too much into detail for this 
event, the runner can utilize the instructions 
given for the one hundred yards dash, altering 
the distance proportionately for the longer 
event. 

In conclusion, let me say that I know of no 
better exercise for boys and young men than 



HOW TO BECOME A SPRINTER 165 

sprinting. If indulged in moderately, it can't 
injure any one. On the contrary, it will 
strengthen the heart and build up the whole 
body. And there is nothing finer for teaching 
a youngster to think quickly and to give him the 
physical poise which every boy ought to seek. 



HOW TO RUN THE HUNDRED AND TWO 
HUNDRED TWENTY YARD DASHES 

BY KALPH C. CKAIG 

Training for the '' hundred '' and ** two- 
twenty '' dashes is one of the most interesting 
forms of work that a boy can do on the track 
team. There is a snap and a dash about it 
which appeals to every boy, and whether he is 
proficient in the dashes or not, he is instinc- 
tively interested. 

The dashes, and I use the plural because of 
the fact that an athlete usually runs both the 
'' hundred '' and *' two-twenty,'' in any meet, 
are among the most strenuous events of the day, 
and as such the work in preparation for these 
races is most important. 

Of course, any one ^' hundred " or ^* two- 
twenty " cannot be compared to the quarter, 
half, or mile runs, but when he considers the 
fact that a sprinter has to run from two to four 
or five races in one afternoon, and that in each 
race he is straining every muscle and every 
nerve to their utmost throughout the entire 
race, and the fact that in less than a fifth of 
a second his physical and nervous machinery — 

166 




RALPH CEAIG WINKING THE 100-YARDS IN" RECOKD TIME OF 
9 4-5 SECONDS. INTERCOLLEGIATE GAMES, 1911. 




DKEW AKD CRAIG AT TAPE AT FINISH OF THE 100-METERS 

IN THE OLYMPIC TRY-OUTS IN THE HARVARD 

STADIUM, 1912. DREW WON BY INCHES. 




PATTERSON OF PBNN. WINNINCr Tlir: l()()-\ \i;i>^ TN 9 J-" -^ i mxDS 

IN THE INTERCOLLBGIATES IN' IDlo. LllTIXCOTT, WINN I, U 

OF THE 220-YARDS, SECOND MAN FROM LEFT. RELLER 

OF CORNELL WAS SECOND IN THIS RACE. 



THE SPRINTS 



HOW TO RUN THE DASHES 167 

if I may use the word — has passed from a state 
of being normal to the state of maximum strain, 
I think that every boy will see my point, and 
will agree that the sprints are one of the hard- 
est events of the day. 

Hence the sprinter must be like a finely tem- 
pered steel spring, so that allowing a short 
period for rest after each race or heat, he will 
still be able to do his best. 

In order to do this, a boy who wishes to be 
proficient in sprinting must not pay his atten- 
tion wholly to running, but must pay careful 
attention to the general condition of his health. 
He must take exercises which have no direct 
bearing on running, but which will build him 
up and keep him in the best possible general 
condition. 

Another point that most boys do not realize 
the importance of, is that the legs are not the 
all-important part of a good runner. They are 
the most important part to be sure, but the 
muscles of the hips, the back, the shoulders, and 
the arms all play their part, and it is an impor- 
tant part. A sprinter need not have the heav- 
ily developed arms of a weight man, but he 
must have arms which will, by their swing and 
drive, help him through the end of a hard race. 
His hips must have highly developed muscles, 
and the muscles of the back and shoulders are 
all very important. Those muscles need not be 
heavily developed, and in fact that should not 



168 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

be the aim; but they should be of fine quality 
and capable of quick movements and of with- 
standing sudden great strains. 

One of the chief troubles with the boy athlete 
is that he does not realize these things and their 
importance to him. He may hear of them, and 
practise exercises for a couple of weeks, which 
develop these other muscles and tone up his 
system generally, but then he cannot see that it 
makes any difference to him and he gradually 
neglects them for the more interesting work on 
the track itself. 

This general development is of great impor- 
tance to a sprinter, and in order that his whole 
system may be in the best of health, thereby 
giving him the reserve force which is so neces- 
sary to him, and in order that his arms, shoul- 
ders, back and hips be developed, as well as his 
legs, the boy athlete should take regular daily 
exercise, with the chest weights, dumb-bells or 
Indian clubs. He should not overdo it one day 
and neglect it the next, but take a regular 
amount, as will be prescribed to him by his 
coach, or if he is not fortunate enough to have 
a good coach, by his own common sense and 
feeling. 

And right here is the core of the whole mat- 
ter : a certain regularity about the daily work 
is essential to success in any kind of athletics, 
and by that I do not mean the same work day 
after day — but I do mean that the boy should 



HOW TO RUN THE DASHES 169 

not go out and overdo one day and because of 
that, underdo for three or four days. The best 
judge of this is the boy himself. He can tell by 
the way he feels, the amount of work which is 
best for him, and now I want to give an impor- 
tant warning ! Always stop when you feel that 
you can do more, and never go on with the exer- 
cise, either on the track or with the apparatus, 
until you become exhausted. The object of all 
training is to build up the system. This object 
is necessarily defeated if the boy athlete, in his 
own enthusiasm and high feelings does more 
than he should, and so drains the supply of re- 
serve force which is so necessary in all compe- 
tition. This is especially true in the case of 
boys between the ages of twelve and eighteen or 
twenty. A great deal of their strength is used 
in maturing their growth, and consequently 
they do not have the reserve force which a man 
of twenty-two years or older has. 

This is very important, and I want to warn 
every boy of the evils of too violent exertions 
and of overdoing his training. A great many 
promising boys have spoiled their chances by 
trying to do too much in high school. But in 
connection with this warning I want to give 
another warning which seems to exactly con- 
tradict the first, and that is, that success in 
sprinting — and by success I mean becoming as 
good as is possible for the individual athlete — 
can be attained only by hard, consistent work. 



170 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

Those two statements do not seem to jibe at 
all, do they! But if you will substitute stick- 
to-itiveness for hard, consistent work you will 
see what I mean: I mean that a boy should 
work hard every day, doing as much as he can 
without overdoing; that his work should be 
regular and persistent and that he should keep 
at it every day, even though he does not seem 
to be improving; but that, on the other hand, 
in his daily work he should be very careful not 
to overdo, for any one day. 

When a boy decides to get out for any form 
of athletics he should first of all be examined 
by a physician or a man who has made physical 
culture his profession. For if he has a weak 
heart or lungs or his physical machinery is 
weak in any way, he cannot go into hard work 
with any hope of success, and what is worse, he 
works a positive injury to himself. The aver- 
age boy, however, is sound in body and mind; 
and any who are not may console themselves 
by the sure knowledge that they can build up 
their bodies by gradual work. 

After the boy has been examined and knows 
that his physical machinery has no flaws, he 
should begin in the gymnasium and work out 
three times a week during the cold weather. 
The exercise that he takes should be with the 
idea of developing the lighter faster muscles 
and no heavy lifting or heavy work should be 
done. In this way the whole system is built up, 



HOW TO RUN THE DASHES 171 

and when the outdoor season opens the boy has 
a good beginning for his sprinting. 

The first week of outdoor work should be 
long, slow work. Never try any speed, and 
above all never break off your marks. Right 
here I might give an important warning good 
for any time in the season, — never break off 
your marks until you are thoroughly * ^ warmed 
up, ' ' and if it is a cold, raw day, do not attempt 
it at all. But returning to the first week : dur- 
ing the first few days the boy will feel so good 
over getting out of doors that there will be a 
strong tendency to do too much. This must be 
guarded against, for if you do too much one 
day, an almost inevitable result will be that you 
will do too little for a day or so after that. 

After the first week of outdoor work, the 
starts should be practised every day — remem- 
bering, of course, to never * ' take your marks ' ' 
without being well warmed up. The start of 
the sprints is very important, and especially is 
this true in the ' ' hundred. ' ' The boy who can 
get away with the gun and into his running in 
fifteen yards has a great advantage over his 
competitors. Personally, this has been the 
weakest point in my own sprinting and it has 
been something which I have tried for seven 
years to improve, and while I am still a very 
poor starter there has been improvement and 
I am still working away on it. 

In general, the holes should be dug deep — a 



172 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

few notches in the track are not sufficient — and 
they should be placed so that the knee resting 
on the ground is on a line with the instep of the 
front foot. The holes should be far enough 
apart so that the back foot drives straight 
ahead on the first step. That is, do not dig the 
rear hole directly behind the front one, nor, on 
the other hand, dig it too far to one side of the 
front hole, but choose a happy medium and dig 
the holes so that when walking off your marks 
the rear foot moves directly ahead. 

The front hole should be dug, as a rule, about 
ten inches behind the starting line, although the 
individual cases vary. In coming to the position 
** on your marks, '^ the athlete's eyes should be 
straight ahead and every faculty and every 
nerve intent upon the fact that the instant the 
pistol is fired he must make every effort to 
reach the goal as soon as possible. At the com- 
mand ^* get set *' the athlete raises the knee 
which has been on the ground and leans for- 
ward, his eyes still fixed straight ahead on the 
goal and every muscle tense and ready to drive. 

A proper balance is essential in good start- 
ing, for on the amount of drive depends largely 
the merit of the start. If a boy is not well bal- 
anced when he is ** set," he is not going to get 
a good drive — and the legs alone do not give 
all the drive, but the arms and entire body 
enter in. 

With the report of the pistol, make every ef- 



HOW TO RUN THE DASHES 173 

fort to get into your running. This is most 
iinportant. Do not jump up in the air, and do 
not try to see how long you can make your first 
stride, but make every effort to get into your 
running. By that I mean that you should as 
soon as possible get into the position you as- 
sume after you are running at full speed. 

Many boys get a good drive and for the first 
stride seem to have an advantage, but in the 
next four or five they lose it all and their com- 
petitors who have gotten into their running 
sooner are leading them at the thirty-yard 
mark. 

The start having been made and the speed 
attained, attention should be paid to the posi- 
tion of the body, arms, head, etc. This is, of 
course, only in practice. In a race the one idea 
is intense concentration upon the thought of 
^* getting there." But in practice you must 
keep your mind upon how you are running, 
until your faults are eliminated, and until your 
form is second nature to you. 

Every boy can attain the best results by run- 
ning naturally and eliminating his faults. No 
general rules can be made which will suit every 
case and every boy will run differently. But 
there are certain general principles which can 
be modified for every case. In general, the 
arms should be held rather high, the elbows 
bent and the hands clenched. It is advisable to 
use a pair of grips of cork or any other light 



174 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

material, that will fit tlie hand and give the 
runner something to clench down upon. 

The arms are a great aid in sprinting and 
their movement should be sharp and forceful, 
and the greatest force should be used in the 
forward stroke. That is, strike forward with 
your arms harder than you draw them back. A 
large number of athletes do not do this, and, of 
course, the idea of swinging the arms is to bal- 
ance the body and to utilize the force of inertia 
in aiding its forward movement. 

Another common fault is in running too 
straight up in the air. The best results gen- 
erally are obtained from holding the body in- 
clined slightly forward. The reason for this is 
simple. Stand with your feet together and lean 
forward. As you lean forward you find that one 
foot instinctively comes forward to keep your 
balance. If the leaning is continued, your other 
foot comes forward and soon you are running 
in spite of yourself. In this way the force of 
gravity is used to help your running. 

When the body is held straight it is muscular 
effort alone which moves it, and surely muscu- 
lar effort plus gravity is better than muscular 
effort alone. 

Another common fault in boys who are work- 
ing out for the sprints, is that they do not keep 
their minds upon the goal. They are thinking 
of the ^* other fellow" and are looking over 
their shoulders to see where he is. More dashes 



HOW TO RUN THE DASHES 175 

have been lost in tMs way than any other way 
that I know of. It is absolutely essential, in 
order to do your best, to keep your eyes on the 
tape or string throughout the entire race. 

Now, as to a weekly program: as I have 
said before, no one rule can be set down for 
every boy who is working out for the sprints 
as every one has to do a little different sort of 
work in order to get the best results. But a 
good general program would read something 
like this, except that the first week or two 
should be devoted to long, slower work : 

Monday — Practise starts, about fifteen 
yards from four to six starts; fifty yards at 
full speed. Swing through one hundred and 
fifty yards faster than a jog, but not at top 
speed. 

Tuesday — Starts, four to six ; two forty- 
yard dashes; swing through two hundred and 
twenty. 

Wednesday — Starts, four to six; one hun- 
dred yards. Then after a good rest jog slowly 
around for three hundred yards. 

Thursday — Starts, four to six ; a fairly fast 
one hundred and ten yards, but not at top 
speed. Then, after a rest, swing through one 
hundred and fifty yards. 

Friday — If there is a meet on Saturday jog 
through one hundred and fifty yards; if not 
work same as Tuesday. 

Saturday — If there is a meet, keep off the 



176 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

feet as much as possible and rest; if not, do 
whatever work you feel like doing. 

That is, of course, a very general pro- 
gram, and every boy will have to vary it to 
meet his own individual requirements. If his 
starting is slow the greater part of his work 
will have to be on the starts. If he cannot finish 
well, he must work up the stamina and endur- 
ance necessary for a hard finish. 

Now, as to dieting. This is not necessary in 
the case of a high school boy, and the ordinary 
table diet is satisfactory except that the boy 
should avoid pastries, candy, etc., and, of 
course, every boy knows the evil effects of to- 
bacco and liquors of any sort, and so a warning 
against them is not necessary. 

Another thing to remember is that a sprinter 
is not made in a day, or a year, or two years. 
It is only by steady, consistent plugging away 
that you will be able to accomplish anything, 
and remember that the object of athletic con- 
tests is to find out which is the best man or the 
best team, as the case may be, and that if you 
cannot beat the other man fairly you do not 
want to beat him; that if you are beaten it is 
simply an incentive to you to work harder so 
that in the next race you can win. 



HOW TO TRAIN FOR THE DISTANCE 
RUN 

BY KEENE FITZPATRICK 

We can lay down rules for the training of 
football players; we can make out a general 
plan of training for a baseball squad; jump- 
ers, vaulters, and weight men can be developed 
along the same general lines. But when it 
comes to developing men for the distance runs, 
no one can lay down rules. Everything de- 
pends on the man himself. True, he can be told 
what to eat and what not to eat; he can be 
given some general orders that will apply to all 
men. But his case must be studied and studied 
carefully before actual development of the 
runner begins. A trainer might have a squad 
of a dozen milers. Should he give them but one 
set of rules, it is likely that not more than one 
of the twelve would derive any great benefit 
from following them. The distances given out 
for the daily run might be too long for some 
and not long enough for others ; one man might 
need work in the sprints, while another might 
need long walks across country to develop his 
endurance. 

177 



178 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

And so, the first thing to do in training for 
the longer runs is to study the candidate. This 
should not rest entirely with the trainer. The 
runner himself should try to locate his weak 
points. He should know what work he needs. 
Then, after this knowledge is accumulated, 
earnest training may follow. 

It is difficult to say when a man should begin 
running. Some boys develop with surprising 
rapidity, while others are men in years before 
they are physically able to undergo the re- 
quired training. However, I should say that no 
boy should begin running distances until he is 
sixteen years old. The normal boy at that age 
can stand a reasonable amount of exertion 
without injuring his heart or lungs. Of course 
there are many exceptions to the rule. Some 
boys may be able to stand hard work before 
they are sixteen years old, but to say that it is 
safe for them to begin training is a mistake. 
Many high school boys ruin any chance they 
might have had by beginning track work before 
they are developed to the necessary degree. I 
have had numbers of cases of men at Michigan 
who came up for examination, to be told that 
their heart had developed a * * murmur. ' ' This, 
in many instances, was undoubtedly due to 
overwork in athletics before they were suffi- 
ciently mature. When a" man's heart is af- 
fected, his chances of ever becoming an athlete 
are gone. A good heart is the very foundation 



HOW TO TRAIN FOR DISTANCE 179 

of prowess on the track or field. No trainer 
will allow a man wlio has a weak heart to do 
even the lightest work. 

When the young athlete is considered suffi- 
ciently strong to commence running, he should 
not start work on his own assurance or that of 
his trainer. He should be carefully examined 
by a physician. There may be a defect that will 
wear off in a year or so, and there may be a 
defect that would endanger the boy's life should 
he exert himself to the degree required in run- 
ning. 

And then the first step in training is to stop 
smoking. The boys who use tobacco in any 
form before their athletic careers end are heav- 
ily handicapped. '' Oh, pshaw,'' they Avill say, 
' ' I only smoke a pipe, and I cut that out when I 
begin work." Perhaps they do. Perhaps they 
let tobacco entirely alone for weeks before their 
training season opens and never touch it again 
until the last meet has been fought out. But 
nicotine will leave its mark. This mark may 
be ever so slight and the smoker may never 
realize that he has been injured by the habit. 
But his efficiency has been impaired to a greater 
or less degree. Boys, as a rule, do not realize 
this. Their parents and teachers warn them 
against the use of tobacco. Still they give no 
heed. If they could only know great athletes 
and know their habits it would be a lesson to 
them. Many are the men who have been ren- 



180 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

dered unfit for track, baseball and football, all 
on account of tobacco. And they need not be- 
come inveterate smokers to ruin themselves, 
either. The men who have been the strongest 
assets to the big university teams have let to- 
bacco entirely alone until their college days 
were things of the past. 

Dieting is an important part of preparation 
for track work. Here again, it is difficult to lay 
dowTi rules. Some food stuffs that may be 
nutritious when cooked in one form, may be 
injurious when prepared in another way. Pas- 
try should be let alone entirely ; so should fried 
dishes. Well-cooked meats, eggs, fresh vege- 
tables and milk make a substantial diet. Don't 
gorge. It is just as bad to overeat even prop- 
erly cooked food as it is to fill up on pies and 
cake. 

After the candidate for long distance run- 
ning honors has been thoroughly examined and 
his habits of living fixed, he should begin active 
work as soon as possible. 

Training for track work generally begins in 
the spring, when the weather is still unsettled. 
Weather plays an important part in the train- 
ing of a distance man, because his work neces- 
sarily takes more time than that required to fit 
men to enter other events. He must be out in 
the open many hours a week. There is, of 
course, no danger as long as the days are warm, 
but when a cold spell sets in it is likely to have 



HOW TO TRAIN FOR DISTANCE 181 

a bad effect unless the runner takes due pre- 
cautions. Never work out on a cold day with 
your legs and arms exposed. Many high school 
boys insist on running across country on cold 
days in nothing but an ordinary track suit. 
This is likely to cause lameness, stiffness, and 
bring on colds. 

Don't begin things with a rush. It will not 
pay in the long run and most certainly will do 
you no immediate good. Cross-country walks 
and runs are the best things to fit a man for 
hard competition on the track. Here again, 
everything depends on the individual. Some 
men can travel several miles without tiring, 
while others will be worn out with only a short 
jaunt. Do not begin running at once. Start 
out and walk. Walk long distances and run a 
little now and then. Do not allow yourself to 
tire. For the first week confine yourself to 
work every other day and walk most of the 
time. Breathe deeply and walk briskly, taking 
every bit as much care of yourself as if you 
were working to the limit of your endurance. 
After this preliminary preparation, begin run- 
ning a little more, always keeping well within 
the limits of your strength. Leave your train- 
ing quarters slowly. When you begin to 
breathe heavily or your legs tire — be it even 
a trifle — drop back to a walk and rest your- 
self. Then run again. Keep this up day after 
day and you will find that your endurance is 



182 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

rapidly increasing. Now and then a man will 
have an " off " day. Don't think because you 
tire in a quarter of a mile where you could run 
a full half the day before that you must do 
that half-mile. Always remember that to tire 
yourself is only to hamper your progress. 

The distance you should cover in these walks 
and runs depends, once more, on the individual. 
For the average boy of sixteen years from one 
to three miles should be sufficient. After a few 
weeks you will find that you can run almost the 
entire distance where it tired you to walk it 
before. Don't, above all things, increase your 
work before you feel that you can do it without 
tiring out. 

When you finish your work-out it is well to 
bathe. Take a good warm shower and rub 
yourself down well. Many high school boys as 
well as college students seem to believe that 
they cannot properly train without a rubber to 
go over their bodies after they have taken their 
daily exercise. Of course, a rub-down is advan- 
tageous, but it is not at all necessary. It will 
loosen stiff muscles and take out the soreness, 
but, as I have said before, it is not essential. 
However, a man can rub himself down when 
necessary. It may be a trifle irksome after 
taking a hard work-out, but will prove to be a 
benefit in the long run. 

And then, after you have rested, eat. Do not 
exercise immediately after a meal, or eat at 



HOW TO TRAIN FOR DISTANCE. 183 

once after exercising. One is equally as bad as 
the other. It hurts your digestive organs, and 
without a stomach in good working order no 
man can become strong in athletics. 

Get plenty of sleep. Remember that you are 
working hard every day. You are eating care- 
fully selected food to keep up your body. But 
sleep is an essential. Sleep eight hours at least 
out of every twenty-four. Sleep in a well-ven- 
tilated room. The air need not be cold, but it 
must be fresh. To sleep in a tightly closed 
room is harmful. You are using up much 
muscle tissue and the waste is being largely 
carried away through your lungs. This re- 
quires plenty of fresh air, and to inhale stale 
air for hours at a time is just like taking so 
much poison. Have your room well ventilated 
and you will awaken in the morning with a clear 
head and a desire for more work. 

Gradually, as you follow this course of prep- 
aration, you will be able to go the full distance. 
And this brings up the question of how far a 
boy should run. No growing boy should at- 
tempt to run more than a mile. He can do the 
sprints and the four hundred and forty-yard 
dash and the half-mile and the full mile. But 
there he should stop. The longer races are a 
tremendous drain on a man's strength and are 
meant to be run only by those who have a full 
development. 

You should have commenced training early 



184 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

enough so that you will feel able to run your 
distance, or over, at least four weeks before 
your first serious competition. If you are try- 
ing out for the half-mile, run three-quarters of 
a mile for a time. If you desire to run the mile, 
go a little over that distance. Do not run at 
your best speed. Accustom yourself to the dis- 
tance and learn to know your pace. Know how 
fast you are going and how long you can hold 
the pace without tiring. If you are exceeding 
your limit, slow up. When you can finish your 
distance or a little over at a reasonably good 
rate of speed without feeling tired and weak, 
begin to increase your speed. » The time for do- 
ing this all depends on the man. He knows best. 

While you are getting your pace and going 
the distances that you are to go in competition, 
vary the running with short sprints. Start 
from the mark and run thirty or forty yards at 
top speed. Do this half a dozen times every 
day. Then move about to avoid taking cold, but 
rest yourself before starting out to run the 
daily distance. 

When you can run more than the distance 
which is to be raced at good speed and finish 
in good condition, cut off the extra yards and 
begin working faster. Don't run at top speed 
every day. If you feel listless and are without 
energy it is a sign that you are doing too much 
or not living properly. Cut down on the work 
for a few days and take things easier. Even 




CQ 



Pi 
O 



HOW TO TRAIN FOR DISTANCE 185 

when you are feeling in the best of condition 
do not exert yourself day after day. Run your 
distance two or three times each week, then 
take things easier for a day or two. 

At least two weeks before the first race, the 
runner should know what he can do. It is well 
to have timers take your time by quarters. In 
this way, and only in this way, will you learn 
your pace. You will know that if you go the 
first quarter too fast you are bound to be too 
tired for the final burst of speed, and if you are 
lagging you will be forced to overdo in the final 
stages of the run. Every truly great runner 
can judge his speed. He knows when the pace 
is too fast and he knows when he should be 
moving faster to avoid the danger of a hard 
race in the final few yards. 

Of course, it is almost useless to give instruc- 
tions for a race. You know — or should know 
— how much you can do, and there are count- 
less things that may arise during the running 
of a half or a mile that will upset the most care- 
fully laid plans. But if a man can judge his 
time and knows his limit, he can rely upon this 
knowledge, and it is the greatest asset he has 
when he steps on a track to compete with 
strangers. 

If a runner is strong and knows the men 
against whom he is running, it may be well to 
set the pace. But this again depends entirely 
on conditions. If some one else sets the pace 



186 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

and you feel it is more than you can do, don't 
worry. You are out there to run the distance 
in the fastest possible time and, if you have 
trained properly, you know of how much speed 
you are capable. Go the fastest you can in the 
early stages and still retain strength for the 
finish. If the others draw away from you when 
you are doing your best, don't worry. To fol- 
low them would only be to wear yourself out, 
and they may tire and give you your opportun- 
ity at the finish. Keep going at the best speed 
you can maintain. Should the others lag, don't 
congratulate yourself. They may be reserving 
much strength for the last fraction of the dis- 
tance. Run your own race, regardless of what 
the others may do. 

Many distance races are won in the last few 
yards. Be ready for the final burst of speed. 
If you feel that you have the race safe and are 
strong enough to beat any one who might sprint 
to the finish, be satisfied. Hold yourself for 
this possible struggle. At the same time do not 
take chances. Should some of the others begin 
to sprint in the last few yards, follow them. 
Run your best. Pay attention to your stride. 
Keep it up as well as possible. Glue your eyes 
on the tape and determine that you will reach 
it first. Think of nothing but keeping yourself 
well together and bringing every ounce of 
energy to bear. 

During the track season you will probably be 



HOW TO TRAIN FOR DISTANCE 187 

called on to run in several races. Take the 
best possible care of yourself during this pe- 
riod. Watch your food and watch your body. 
After a race and before another, rest for an 
entire day. This does not mean stay in bed or 
remain in the house. Get plenty of fresh air, 
but do not exert yourself in the slightest. Run 
your distance once or twice during the days that 
come between competitions. 

And then, after the season is over, let down 
gradually on your training. Remember that 
you have been under a severe strain, and do not 
let go at once. Get plenty of exercise and 
plenty of sleep. Cut down your daily work 
gradually. Remember that there are other 
races before you in the years to come and the 
sudden breaking off of training may do you 
a great harm. 

I have dealt with food, sleep, and tobacco. I 
have taken it for granted that none of the boys 
who are in high school athletics use intoxicating 
liquors. If they do drink beer or any other al- 
coholic drink it is a question whether they will 
ever amount to much on the running track. 

Always keep in mind that it is the high school 
boy of to-day who is to be the great athlete of 
the future. You cannot grow into a Jones, a 
Meredith, a Taylor, or a Rose in a year. You 
must keep steadily at it. Do not overdo. Keep 
your habits regular. Year by year you will 
become stronger, and when the time comes for 



188 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

you to enter college, you will be ready to take 
up the more severe work that is there required, 
and possess a splendid foundation upon which 
to build. 




JOHTSr PATJL JONES OF CORNELIi MAKING A NEW WORLD'S ONE-MILE 
KECOBD OF 4 MINUTES, 14 2-5 SECONDS. INTERCOLLEGIATES, 1913. 




THE FIELD IN THE MILE RUN. INTERCOLLEGIATES, 1913,, 

THE DISTANCE RUNS 



THE AET OF HURDLINQ 

BY A. L. JACKSON 

Hurdling is an artistic science. There is 
probably no prettier or more thrilling spectacle 
for the average spectator at the modem field 
and track games than a hurdle race. Every one 
likes to see the runners jump the barriers, but 
few people know or realize the amount of time 
and effort that is spent in grooming and train- 
ing the modern hurdler. 

There is a story told of the late Bill Quinn, 
the well-known Harvard track coach, who was 
noted for developing green men into point win- 
ners and even into intercollegiate champions. 
One day a senior, who had tried his hand at 
every other major sport in a vain effort to 
earn the coveted letter, reported to Quinn for 
the hurdles. Quinn asked him his name, class, 
and experience. When he learned that he was 
a green man and a senior, he sent him away 
with the remark, ** Why, man, this hurdling 
game is a four-year course; you came around 
too late." And that is true. A champion 
hurdler is not made in a few months or in a 
year. It takes time and patience and work, lots 



190 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

of work. Still this work lias its reward. In the 
ordinary runs on the track program, a man can 
be groomed for a race in a few weeks. Often- 
times a man is swung over from the sprints to 
the distance runs or from the distance runs to 
the middle distances, and very often displaces 
the former champion at that distance. Not so 
with a hurdler. The man of two years' expe- 
rience in hurdling is two years better than the 
man just starting in and within a given radius 
will remain two years better than that man, no 
matter how long or hard the green man strug- 
gles. 

One has only to look over the records of 
present day and former champions to prove 
this. Take Simpson, Shaw, Garrells, Kraenz- 
lein, and the recent intercollegiate champion, 
J. I. Wendell. In the year 1910 Wendell took 
a bad fourth place in a semi-final heat in the 
intercollegiate championship, because Chis- 
holm of Yale, Long and Lewis of Harvard, were 
experienced hurdlers, with potentially no more 
speed I than Wendell had, but having the 
*^ form." That heat was won in sixteen and 
one-fifth seconds. The following year, the same 
Wendell, with a year's experience and practice, 
won the Intercollegiate high hurdle race in fif- 
teen and three-fifths seconds, and took third in 
the low hurdle race, which was won in twenty- 
four and one-fifth seconds. The year after that, 
he outclassed the field in both events, winning 



THE ART OF HURDLING 191 

the high hurdles in the same time after doing 
a fifth of a second better in the semi-finals. 
Then he went out and tied Kraenzlein's world's 
record of twenty-three and three-fifths seconds 
in the low hurdles, ending a glorious athletic 
career with two championships. 

Now a hurdler must have a long, easy stride 
and plenty of snap and spring in his legs and 
body. Obviously he must be a good sprinter 
to begin with, especially to run the low obsta- 
cles. The high hurdles are placed ten yards 
apart and there are ten of them to be safely 
cleared, and there lies one of the most exciting 
elements in the race, for there are ten chances 
for a man to strike a hurdle and lose his stride 
or tumble, either one of which will put him 
hopelessly out of the race. For one's stride is 
an all-important thing. It must be so regu- 
lated as to bring the same foot forward each 
time a hurdle is to be cleared, and mind you, 
the high hurdles are three feet, six inches high 
and the low just a foot shorter. In order to 
do this, the ten yards must be covered com- 
fortably in three strides. In the low hurdles, 
which are twenty yards apart, the distance 
ought to be covered in seven strides. Some 
short-legged men use nine strides, but they are 
obviously at a disadvantage. 

Now these hurdles must not be jumped. 
They must be stepped over as one would step 
over a curbstone. It has got to be done auto- 



192 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

matically in one's stride. One, two, three — 
step ; one, two, three — step, and so on. It is 
obvious that one cannot make time in the air. 
Therefore the hurdle must be stepped as closely 
as possible, for it is the man who gets to the 
ground quickest who will win his race. Three 
inches saved in going over each hurdle will 
make almost a fifth of a second's difference at 
the end of the race, which is good for nearly two 
yards, so you see the importance of getting 
** form,'' that is, the ability to take a hurdle 
close and fast and land running with no per- 
ceptible pause in clearing the hurdle. 

There are as many different forms or styles 
of hurdling as there are coaches, but they all 
aim, or should aim, at taking a hurdle close 
with as little effort as possible. The main fault 
of beginners is that they jump their hurdles, 
shooting straight up in the air with both feet 
almost directly under them, or they drag the 
back knee and leg too much, so that they float 
over the hurdle and have to wait till they come 
to earth again before they can start to run. 

In order to cure these two faults one must 
learn to control one's legs just as a ballet dan- 
cer does or as a boxer controls his arms. Most 
of us know how hard it is to learn to use our 
left hand in boxing; but practice will bring it 
around. So it is with hurdling. Exercise to 
become supple and springy. If you are stiff in 
your legs and crotch, exercise them more ; con- 




JAMES WENDELL OF WESLEYAN, WINNEU OF BOTH HURDLE RACES, 

INTERCOLLEGIATES, 1913, WINNING THE HIGH HCTRDLES. 

JACKSON OF HARVARD, SECOND. 




CUMMINGS OF HARVARD AND CHISHOLM OF YALE OVER A HK 
TOGETHER. HARVARD-YALE GAME, 1912. 




JACKSON" OF ll.\l;,\'Alil> LKAl)JN<i IIUAHN oi' DAirrMOUril IN SEMI- 
FINALS OF JILGII liUliDLES, 1NTJ<:KC0LLE(J1 ATES, 1913. 
BRAUN WON THIS EVENT, INTERGOLLEGIATES, 1914. 

THE HURDLES 



THE ART OF HURDLING 193 

centrate on that. Learn to do the split on your 
bedroom floor after the fashion of our tumblers 
and gymnasts. Try walking up to a low chair 
till you are almost on top of it and putting your 
foot up and over it with one motion until you 
can do it without halting your step. When you 
have mastered that, try a low hurdle, just one, 
then a three-foot hurdle and so on up to the 
regulation hurdle. Then try two or three hur- 
dles ten yards apart and try to make them in 
the required number of strides. Keep at it 
when you bang your knees and shins. Most 
champions can show you scars years old which 
they have gotten doing just this sort of thing. 

Then try a race or two. It will be awkward 
at first and you may get a fall or two, but you 
will learn to control your body and some day 
you will feel it come. 

The height of the hurdle won't worry you, 
and when a man presses you in a race you will 
automatically take your obstacles lower and 
lower until you gradually draw away from him. 
And remember, three yards gained in ten hur- 
dles cannot be easily regained by mere speed 
in the ten yards from the last hurdle to the 
tape. Invariably the man over the last hurdle, 
first, wins the race if he runs through and does 
not loaf on the job. Remember, too, that a third 
place this year is good for a second place next 
year if you Keep at it, for the hurdle game is 
a thing you can always learn more about, no 



194 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

matter how long you have hurdled. It will 
always keep you thinking, and it is the man 
who thinks out his faults and the faults of the 
other fellow and improves his style to counter- 
act other faults who eventually becomes the top- 
notcher, and everybody wants to try for the top 
notch if only for the fun of trying. 

You have got to have brains and learn to 
use your head, to hurdle properly, and you have 
got to learn to stick, which are qualities that 
will always be useful in any walk of life, where 
there are always obstacles of one kind or an- 
other to be overcome. 



FIELD ATHLETICS 



HOW TO THROW THE WEIGHTS 

BY JOSEPH HOKNEB, JB. 

A BOY who rises to fame and glory in the ath- 
letic events of our schools and colleges is gen- 
erally recognized as one whose skill in the 
performance of athletic feats has enabled him 
to distinguish himself above his schoolmates. 
To be an athlete is one thing — this requires 
skill. To achieve fame is another thing, and 
this has for its foundation the ability to show 
athletic skill. Whether the boy athlete is a 
sprinter, high- jumper, pole-vaulter, distance- 
runner or weight-thrower, he is credited with 
having perfected himself to a certain degree in 
the art of athletics. The ability he has to show 
his skill in competition with others, and the 
reputation which comes to him as a result of 
his competitive performances go hand in hand. 
In other words, a boy may be able to jump high 
and sprint with great speed, but there is a big 
difference between jumping and sprinting, and 
jumping and sprinting in competition. Skill is 
therefore the first essential in the successful 
performance of an athletic feat. To show skill 

197 



198 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

in competition with others is almost another 
phase of athletics. 

If any one should tell you that there is more 
skill in weight-throwing than iii any other track 
or field event it would sound unreasonable, but 
this is the truth. Putting the shot, throwing 
the hammer, and throwing the discus have al- 
ways been grouped together in a set of three 
as though they were ^* three of a kind.'' To 
say that a boy is a weight-thrower seems to 
imply that he must be built like Hercules, and 
that if he throws one of the three weights he 
must be able to throw them all. It is true that 
weight-throwers as a rule are big men, but 
many times men with comparatively small 
frames have defeated others whose massive 
bulk towered above them. It is also true that 
a boy athlete often becomes quite proficient in 
throwing all three weights, but by practising 
and performing all three on all occasions he is 
actually working against great odds and hin- 
dering himself in an effort to make his per- 
formance represent the best that is in him. 

People make a great mistake in thinking that 
a twelve or sixteen pound shot or hammer is 
so heavy that it requires a two hundred and 
twenty-five pound man to lift it and toss it into 
the air. The average man carries ten pounds 
of clothing with him all the time. He could lug 
a twenty-pound suit-case for a block and never 
notice it, to say nothing of throwing it into the 



HOW TO THROW THE WEIGHTS 199 

air if he wanted to. Just because the weight 
of a shot or hammer is confined to a small 
sphere a few inches in diameter he thinks it is 
so heavy that it would be absurd for him to 
attempt to perform any athletic feat with it, — 
or if it happened that he was not possessed of 
colossal strength he might even shirk from 
touching it. But it is a common saying among 
athletic authorities that ** any kind of a build 
is suited for any kind of an event. ' ' This is as 
true of the weights as it is of any other of the 
track or field events. Brute strength is not 
essential in weight-throwing. Skill is abso- 
lutely necessary. 

Thus any boy who understands the impor- 
tance of skill in weight-throwing can feel sure 
that he does not need to be the least bit stronger 
than any of his companions in order to excel in 
putting the shot, throwing the hammer, or 
throwing the discus. If he tries to perform all 
three weight events he must know what odds he 
is working against. If he wants to reach the 
point of highest efficiency in any one of them, 
he must know what constitutes sJcill in the per- 
formance of that event. He must know where 
to look for it and how to attain it. 

The three weight events differ from each 
other far more than what may be classed as the 
three jumps, — the high-jump, broad-jump, and 
pole-vault. The ** spring '' in the muscles of 
the calf is essential in all of these events. 



200 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

whereas different muscles are used and exer- 
cised in each of the three weight events. The 
shot-put is a one-arm push with all the body 
behind it. The discus-throw is a one-arm side 
pull, and the hammer-throw is a straight, back 
pull with both arms. A push and a pull are two 
absolutely different things from the point of 
view of muscular exertion and development, 
and although the side pull of the discus ap- 
proaches the straight, back pull of the hammer, 
the exertion of the body as a whole depends 
upon an entirely different set of muscles. The 
muscles developed in putting the shot and those 
developed in throwing the hammer or discus 
absolutely conflict. That is the reason why the 
three weight events are not ' ^ three of a kind, ' ' 
and why a boy who tries to become highly pro- 
ficient in one of them can do so much more 
easily by leaving the other two alone. 

Putting the Shot 

In all of the weight events, skill is exemplified 
by the quick action, or '^ snap." In putting 
the shot, quick action is the most important 
factor. There is no time for reflection after 
the put has once been started. The right foot 
should be placed just inside the ring of the 
seven-foot circle directly opposite the toe- 
board, or the front of the ring. The whole 
weight of the body should be balanced upon the 



HOW TO THROW THE WEIGHTS 201 

right leg momentarily, and the knee bent 
slightly jnst before the spring forward is be- 
gun. The left leg should be extended with the 
toe of the left foot touching the ground so that 
a perfect balance can be maintained. The shot 
should be poised in the right hand in front of 
the shoulder so that the weight of the sphere 
rests upon the cushions of flesh covering the 
knuckle joints of the first and second fingers. 
The thumb and the fingers should clasp the shot 
with just enough pressure to hold the weight 
in position. Unless the fingers are very strong 
the weight should not be placed too high up on 
the cushions of the hand. The left arm should 
be extended straight out from the shoulder to 
further aid the balance. 

As soon as this position is assumed the weight 
of the body should be brought into a nice even 
up and down swing by a slight movement of 
the left leg. Instantly the body should be 
lurched forward without a single change by 
springing from the right foot. The right foot 
should then strike the ground somewhere near 
the center of the circle, and the left foot should 
come down, too, a few inches from the front of 
the ring on the left of the center. Both knees 
should be bent when the feet strike the ground, 
but the right slightly more than the left. From 
this crouching position the body should spring 
upward with just enough of a spiral to throw 
the whole weight of the body behind the ri.ght 



202 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

shoulder, moving in an upward and outward 
direction. During this spiral spring the right 
arm should be thrust up and out and the left 
arm should be brought down with force to aid 
the spiral. When the feet strike the ground 
again the right foot will be flat up against the 
toe-board, and the left foot back. 

Important above all else is the way in which 
the shot leaves the right hand. The weight has 
been borne by the cushions over the knuckle 
joints of the first and second fingers from the 
start, but toward the end of the upward and 
outward thrust of the right arm the ball should 
roll up on the fingers and leave them at the tip. 
Virtually, there are four speeds in the entire 
act of putting the shot, — each one piled on top 
of the other so that the result of them all is the 
fimal velocity which gives the shot its momen- 
tum. The spring across the circle is speed 
number one. The spiral spring shoving the 
right shoulder upward and outward is speed 
number two. The thrust of the right arm is 
speed number three, and the ** slap '' of the 
fingers as the ball rolls up and leaves the hand 
at the finger-tips is speed number four. Each 
one of these four speeds is of vital importance. 
To make use of them all and in perfect har- 
mony, getting the greatest value out of each 
one without depreciating the value of any 
other, constitutes the elements of skill in put- 
ting the shot. 




j^^^.;i^:ttd:.-^!s^ 



HOW TO THROW THE WEIGHTS 203 

The problem of developing these speeds and 
of getting them to work together is a difficult 
one. They ought to be learned just as they are 
to be performed, but matters can be simplified 
somewhat by cutting out the first spring for- 
ward into the circle and by practising the last 
three speeds from the position near the front 
of the circle. In other words, by standing in 
the starting position with the left foot a few 
inches from the front of the ring, the body can 
be brought into a slight up and down swing by 
a slight movement of the left leg, and immedi- 
ately lurched into the spiral spring without the 
jump across the circle. This is properly called 
'' putting the shot from a stand,'* and it may 
be practised over and over again with ease until 
the spiral spring itself, the thrust of the arm, 
and the * ^ slap ' ' of the hand is perfected. 

Throwing the Hammer 

In throwing the hammer the question of 
quick action, or '^ snap," is again foremost, but 
unlike the act of putting the shot, quick action 
is not called for until the motion of the weight 
is well under way. The position for starting 
should be taken by placing the feet an easy dis- 
tance apart with the toes just inside the ring 
at the rear of the circle. The body should face 
the direction opposite that in which the ham- 
mer is to be thrown. The ball of the hammer 



204 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

should be allowed to rest on tlie ground at the 
right and behind the person holding it, and it 
should be placed just far enough away so that 
it is necessary to bend the body around to the 
right. The handle should be gripped firmly 
by crooking the fingers over the straight wire 
bars. When this position is assumed the 
weight should be lifted from its resting-place 
with just enough speed to carry it in front and 
away from the body, a few inches from the 
ground. At the instant it reaches a point di- 
rectly in front of the body both arms should be 
straight, and the ball should then be swung 
upward on the left so that the handle can pass 
over the head. As the ball completes the first 
circle by passing in front of the body at the low 
point, both arms should again be straight. On 
the second swing the speed of the weight should 
be accelerated a trifle, and on the third swing, 
a trifle more. The knees will bend but the 
shoulders must be held back as the speed in- 
creases. Then comes the quick action. As the 
ball comes to the low point directly in front of 
the body, at the end of the third swing, the feet 
should leave their position and the whole body 
should whirl about with enough force to in- 
crease the speed of the hammer tremendously. 
The force of this quick movement must come 
from the body and not from the arms, for the 
arms must be held straight in line with the 
hammer handle all the time. When the ball 



HOW TO THROW THE WEIGHTS 205 

approaches tlie low point for the last time the 
feet should strike a position and hold it. Then 
one hard pull with the legs and back will give 
the weight its final momentum as it rises to the 
point over the left shoulder where it must be 
released. 



Applying Centrifugal Force 

It is easy to see that centrifugal force plays 
a great part in throwing the hammer, but it is 
quite as easy to make a grave mistake in think- 
ing that lifting, pure and simple, has something 
to do with it. Centrifugal force, or the tend- 
ency of a revolving body to fly in a straight 
line from central point, is the whole thing. If 
a lift is resorted to when the centrifugal force 
cannot be controlled the throw will be a failure. 
The position of the body on the first three 
swings, as the ball passes the low point directly 
in front of the person holding it, will serve to 
show how the centrifugal force in the weight 
of the hammer acts, and how the body reacts 
against it. The ball is low to the ground, the 
knees bent, the arms straight, and the shoulders 
back. The weight of the hammer is pulling 
straight against the weight of the body and, if 
it were not for the feet pushing against the 
earth, a line drawn through the wire handle of 
the hammer would pass directly through the 
center of the mass of the body. Because the 



206 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

feet do push against the earth this line passes 
a little above that point. 

But to size up the situation, here are two 
weights, — one whirling, and the other turning 
on a pivot. When the body leaves its pivot 
it must whirl also. The only difference between 
the two whirling weights lies in the fact that 
the lighter body describes the greater circle. 
Now if it were possible for the ball of the ham- 
mer to suddenly be held at one point in space 
the momentum of this little sphere would be 
immediately transmitted to the person on the 
other end of the wire, who, in turn, would either 
have to hang on and whirl around or fly off at 
a tangent. This is often the case when the 
heavy ball strikes into the soft earth. 

Exactly the same thing takes place when the 
body of the thrower suddenly comes to a stop 
by the feet taking a position at the end of the 
last whirl. It is obvious that at that time all 
the momentum of the body being transmitted 
to the ball would increase the speed of the ball 
to something terrific. A final pull is absolutely 
necessary in an effort to keep the body from 
being dragged from the point where it is 
anchored. 

The action in throwing the hammer has been 
described as consisting of three swings and two 
whirls, but this is not the only action or 
** form " used. A double whirl is most com- 
mon among hammer-throwers although a sin- 



HOW TO THROW THE WEIGHTS 207 

gle whirl is sometimes used by beginners and 
a triple whirl by experts. 

The part that the feet play in the whirl has 
not been mentioned for the simple reason that 
the action of the feet depends entirely upon 
the weight and height of the man. Some ex- 
pert hammer-throwers barely touch their feet 
to the ground except when the ball passes the 
low point. In this case there seems to be a 
sort of double action of the body like that of 
a cat when it is held by the feet and dropped, 
— the fore feet come down first, and the hind 
feet afterwards. With the hammer-thrower the 
trunk of the body seems to turn first. The feet 
follow quickly, but are clear around and on the 
ground again before the swing of the hammer 
has completed a circle. There is still another 
type of hammer-thrower who pivots his weight 
on the toe of the left foot all through the whirl, 
the right foot striking the ground only at the 
low point. Such methods, however, are un- 
common and are made of practical value only 
by years of experience. 

Skill in throwing the hammer is the outcome 
of careful study in practice with regard to the 
relation between the weight of the sphere and 
the weight of the body during the time that 
both are whirling at a high speed. The first 
three swings of the hammer may be practised 
by releasing the handle over the left shoulder 
at the end of the third swing. A throw of any 



208 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

distance cannot be hoped for without at least 
one whirl, for high speed is impossible unless 
the whole body is brought into action. 

Throwing the Discus 

The discus-throw is the most graceful and 
the most difficult to master of the three weight 
events. The discus only weighs about four and 
one-half pounds, — so here is an event success 
in the performance of which is surely based 
upon a preponderance of skill — hence the dif- 
ficulty. The average man of strength could put 
the twelve-pound shot from thirty to thirty-five 
feet without practice while an expert could hurl 
it only half again as far. It is well to say that 
the average man of strength could throw the 
discus about sixty feet, while an expert could 
sail it out one hundred and twenty-five feet, or 
more. 

The * * form ' ' of throwing the discus is much 
simpler than that of either the shot or the ham- 
mer — that is, an idea of how the act should be 
performed can be grasped very readily — but 
to perform the act is another thing. The right 
foot should be placed just inside the ring at 
the rear of the circle and the left foot an easy 
stride toward the center. The discus should be 
placed against the palm of the right hand, just 
allowing the tips of the first three fingers to 
turn on the rim. The fingers should be quite 



HOW TO THROW THE WEIGHTS 209 

close together. The edge of the discus should 
never be gripped, for it is held in place by fric- 
tion against the palm with the finger ends act- 
ing as a stop. The position of the discus can 
be made more secure by pressure against the 
left hand held near the left shoulder, or by a 
semicircular swing of the arm at the right. 

The body should twist with the motion of the 
right arm, and the left arm should be extended 
to preserve the balance. Such a swing is the 
very first movement to be made when the throw 
is commenced. When the right arm is in the 
rearmost position on the back half of the 
swing, the feet should leave their position and 
one quick snappy whirl should be made. All 
through this whirl and at the finish the back of 
the hand should be up. The discus will be held 
in place largely by centrifugal force, and when 
released should spin on its flat surface, sliding 
forward from the tips of the fingers and rising 
always with its plane parallel to the face of the 
earth. This is the trick, to get it to sail out 
without wabbling, and to give it great velocity 
by performing the feat with lots of *^ snap.'' 
WTien ^he sail is perfected, the velocity may be 
increased by a quick movement of the wrist, 
causing an increased pressure of the finger-tips 
against the rim of the discus after it has 
slipped from the palm of the hand. 

Skill in throwing the discus lies in getting 
the greatest value out of each of three com- 



210 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

bined speeds, namely : the whirl of the body, the 
swing of the arm, and the snap of the wrist at 
the finish. The last two may be practised from 
a standing position, and even in throwing the 
whirl may be omitted by jumping forward in 
the circle when the arm swings back on the 
start. Centrifugal force is important through- 
out the act of throwing the discus although it 
is more of an incident to the act than a main 
factor in it. It serves to keep the discus from 
falling out of the hand, and it allows for the 
accumulation of greater resultant speed than 
is possible in a straight throw by jumping 
across the circle and omitting the whirl. 

When a boy has learned how to throw the 
weights and has developed a certain amount of 
skill in executing the act, he ought to be made 
to realize that what he has thus far attained is 
means to an end, and not an end in itself. The 
underlying motive that we all have when we 
work diligently at any one thing is the desire 
to excel. Matching the results of our efforts 
against the efforts of others and seeing and 
recognizing the progress that we have made is 
the compensation which we derive from our 
labor. There is no athlete alive who does not 
know what it is to be defeated. There is not 
an athlete in the world who does not know what 
it means to win. To fight one's way through 
the hazards of competition in any kind of an 
athletic event is difiicult enough, but a competi- 



HOW TO THROW THE WEIGHTS 211 

tive performance in the weight events, strange 
to say, is peculiar to itself in this respect. The 
rules of competition allow only three throws 
with a weight. An athlete watches his progress 
from day to day by comparing his best marks 
in practice, and he is sure to have taken from 
twenty-five to fifty tries before he concludes 
that he has reached his limit for that day. 
When he finds himself limited to three throws 
in competition he wants to equal the best mark 
that he has made in practice and, what is more, 
he fully expects to. The question is, how is he 
going to do it? 

In higher circles of athletics an athlete 
watches the progress of his competitors by the 
reports given out in the newspapers. It often 
happens that a mere misprint in regard to the 
distance of a certain throw will lead to the de- 
feat of a formerly victorious athlete. He 
knows his own limit even though he continually 
hopes for a record throw to be credited to him 
as the result of some superhuman effort. If 
the newspaper states the distance '* 48 feet " 
when it should have been " 43 feet," that little 
fact is quite likely to unnerve him and cause his 
downfall. This serves to show that weight- 
throwing is not entirely a game of skill against 
skill, but a game of man against man. Bitter 
experience is the only teacher when it comes to 
be a game of human nature, but a few * * point- 
ers " will help any boy who wants to do his best 



212 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

when he matches his efforts against others of 
his class. 

An effort to exert the greatest amount of 
strength when the weights are being thrown 
accomplishes the least. All of the strength that 
one can sum up is necessary, but the machinery 
of the human body is so constructed that all 
acquired skill will vanish when an extreme ef- 
fort is made to exert strength. Skill being the 
first essential, the mind must forever nourish 
the thought of skill, and must forever be con- 
scious of the part which skill plays in the act. 
Too much practice and too little serious study 
will turn the mind from the right direction 
quicker than anything else. When such a cir- 
cumstance exists there is just one simple rule 
to follow — lay the weights on the shelf and 
leave them alone, A week of abstinence from 
practice will not hurt any weight-thrower. 



THE EUNNING BROAD - JUMP, THE 
HIGH -JUMP, AND THE POLE- 
VAULT 

BY JAY B. CAMP 

George Connors, who has developed so many 
athletes at Phillips-Exeter Academy, among 
them J. P. Jones, always insisted that anybody 
with two good legs could make good at track. 
In jumping and vaulting there is no sustained 
effort to tax the heart or other internal organ, 
and two normal legs remain the only require- 
ment. Probably many track-men have become 
acquainted with their specialty when very 
young, perhaps as early as at ten years of age. 
There is an advantage in starting at such an 
age when the proper muscles may be stimu- 
lated and natural and correct movements ac- 
quired unconsciously. But before college age 
there are few, I believe, who profit by pro- 
longed concentration, in successive years, on 
any one of the field-events. As a steady diet, 
real games like football, baseball, tennis, or golf 
are preferable preparation for college track. In 
fact it is only rarely that any boy who has 
trained seriously in high school reaches more 

213 



214 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

than mediocrity in college. On the other hand, 
men with an all-round muscular development 
often start green in college and make a phe- 
nomenal success. The lack of natural ability 
may be offset by a few years of training, since 
any type of physique is adaptable to the three 
field events considered here. Let every one, 
then, who is not already occupied in some 
spring training, consider the possibilities of 
track athletics with the view of giving them a 
trial. 

Broad- jumping, high-jumping, and pole- 
vaulting are based on the same rhythms and 
movements, and for that reason are best stud- 
ied and practised together. The two elements 
of the broad- jump are spring and speed, i. e. 
height and carry. Forward momentum at the 
take-off is to be suddenly transformed into up- 
ward motion, and what is not so used up carries 
the body on out into the pit. The more speed 
one has at the take-off the harder it is to spring 
against it high enough to take advantage ; and 
if with less speed it is easier to spring high 
there may not be enough momentum left to get 
the benefit of the height. It is the speed that 
must be subordinated to the spring, however, 
as in both the other events. 

In working at the broad- jump it is well to 
insure a uniform run by having three marks, 
which one starts from or touches with the 
jumping foot. The first one must be ninety 



liifnip 




WILLI AM QUINN JUST LEAYI:NG THE 

TAKE-OFF. KOTE THE HEIGHT 

ALKEADY ATTAINED AND THE 

POSITION OF THE BODY. 



MEECER OF PENN., INTEKCOLLEGIATE 

CHAMPION IN 1912 AND 1913. NOTE 

THE HEIGHT ATTAINED, AND THE 

POSITION OF THE BODY. 




PLATT ADAMS OF THE NEW YORK 

ATHLETIC CLUB JUST BEFORE 

LANDING. 



THROWING EYERY MUSCLE INTO A 

FINAL EFFORT TO GAIN DISTANCE 

BEFORE LANDING. 



THE BROAD JUMP 



THE RUNNING JUMPS 215 

feet or more, and the last between forty and 
fifty-five feet from the take-off. The one indis- 
pensable feature is a steady stride which al- 
ways lands the foot squarely on the board, a 
connection which must be made so automatic- 
ally that no uncertainty can slow up the ap- 
proach. Accelerate your pace evenly over 
every mark, gathering speed up to the last four 
strides, when you begin to coast a little as you 
gather all your forces for the last supreme ef- 
fort. From the shortest mark should be done 
the regular practising for height and spring, 
with a hurdle in the pit about six feet or less 
from the board. In taking-oif, one springs 
up the short side of a right-angled triangle 
whose hypothenuse is the ground, and slides 
down the long side into the pit. The rise 
should be at an angle of about sixty degrees 
with the ground, and the hurdle is a help in 
working up to so abrupt a change of direction. 
The spring is largely controlled in the last long 
crouching stride, from which you straighten up 
with a lift of the back, arm- swing, and sudden 
kick. This kick nearly splits the non-jumping 
leg from its mate ; but the latter chases along 
behind as best it can until the man behind the 
legs lifts them both to his chest to add the last 
inches to the distance. 

The mechanical basis of the art of high- 
jumping is the so-called hitch-kick. In the fol- 
lowing directions a left-footed jumper only will 



216 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

be considered, for briefness, and right-footed 
jumpers must reverse all the lefts and rights. 
"Whichever foot one puts over a hurdle first, or 
punts a football with, is sure to be the best for 
the non-jumping foot. Both these exercises, 
especially the latter, are splendid for high- 
jumpers. To learn the hitch-kick, stand on the 
jumping foot, with the other, the right, balanced 
eighteen inches off the ground. Spring up and 
down on the toes of the right foot until you can 
do it energetically without thinking. Now add 
a kick up to the spring of the right foot, and 
get it back to ground before the left foot can 
come down from its perch. When you can put 
lots of style into this performance try it on a 
little jump into the pit, without a cross-bar, and 
without a turn. In this way one lands facing 
forward, and on the jumping foot. Practise this 
also with the cross-bar from one to three feet 
high and don't be afraid to hit the ground tail 
first. Even when you can kick the jumping foot 
higher than your head, from a stand, and bring 
it down on the same spot, while the other leg 
is left shoulder high in full flight, don't fool 
yourself into thinking that you have practised 
this enough. Mike Sweeney, whose jump of six 
feet six, made with a simple hitch-kick form, 
was the world's record for twenty years, was 
equally supreme at high-kicking. In this figure 
the jumping foot strikes the bar or target and 
gets back to earth before the other, although 



THE RUNNING JUMPS 217 

generally an instant later than the back of one's 
neck. The jig movements which the other leg 
does in the air, in the meantime, are rather 
amusing after one has succeeded in understand- 
ing them. Besides high-kicking, both standing 
high and broad jumping are excellent practice 
for the running high-jump. For a standing 
high-jump one crouches with the side toward 
the bar and jumps off both feet, at the same 
time swinging the arms up hard and lifting the 
back. The scissor-kick over the bar is to be 
extended into. a hitch-kick as much as possible. 
If you hit the ground flat on your back it will 
help you to realize how you cleared the bar, i. e. 
with the back down and horizontal. This is 
called a lay-out. Every ordinarily good jumper 
clears the bar with this lay-out, the body show- 
ing a straight line from knees to shoulder which 
is parallel to the ground. Generally, though 
not always, the back is parallel to the cross-bar 
and flat to the ground, at the moment of clear- 
ance. 

Whatever form you may use now is sure to 
be diflPerent before you jump very much higher, 
so that you will do well to start practising 
right on the correct basic form described here. 
Start with a wide sidewise run and the old- 
fashioned scissor-kick. Snapping the left or 
last leg over and down before the other gets 
to ground will shift the scissor over into a 
hitch-kick. Make sure of that lay-out at the 



218 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

cost of a hundred falls if necessary, as the in- 
jury to your back is less permanent than the 
damage to your form if you clear the bar sit- 
ting upi or doubled forward. Keep trying a 
more direct approach of the bar, until you run 
at it at right angles. In the last two strides you 
may cut across to your left, but it is better to 
take only one swerving step, that is. on the very 
last stride. This toeing-out to the left allows 
the non-jumping or kicking leg a longer swing 
so that more power is available for the hitch- 
kick. In punting a football the kicker does this 
same thing to increase the reach and speed of 
the kicking foot. With the aid of the hitch-kick 
this shift of direction on the last stride will 
wheel the body enough in the air to bring it 
parallel to the bar, so that one comes down side- 
wise to the bar or facing it. Don't try con- 
sciously for a turn, as the less you get the 
better. Face the bar squarely as you spring, 
with no twist in the waist or hips. It is per- 
missible after the body has fully cleared to 
twist down on to the feet and avoid sprawling 
backwards into the pit. Even then it helps the 
jump not at all. 

The test of a high- jumper is his run. Only 
one style of stride will fit, and this must be 
acquired by those who, unfortunately, do not 
have it naturally. It is made up of a succession 
of bounds, which do not take the runner up into 
the air but nearer the ground, and very 



THE RUNNING JUMPS 219 

smoothly forward. You strike on the heels 
first, but not flat-footed, since you roll across the 
foot from heel to toe and off, allowing the knee 
to bend decidedly as the weight passes directly 
over the foot. Approach the bar with eyes on 
the ground under it, as though you were sneak- 
ing to a position for a shot at a deer. This 
rolling character of the run is closely dupli- 
cated in the vaulting and broad-jumping run, 
though the sneaking into each crouched stride 
and rising elastically out of it, is much less 
noticeable than here described, and has little 
up and down motion and more forward im- 
petus. 

The marks for the approach are best ad- 
justed so that the first mark is about twenty 
feet back of the main mark, which is itself ex- 
actly four good long running strides from the 
spot where the last foot leaves the ground. As 
you run easily over the main mark take from 
it a high-step which is twelve to eighteen inches 
longer than the normal stride. The recovery 
from this hop is the most difficult detail of the 
run. This high-step is long rather than high, 
but not so long that you cannot alight from it 
with the weight well over the forward leg, and 
slide into the next stride with no perceptible 
loss of speed. The second and third strides 
from the main mark gather speed. In the 
fourth and last stride you plant your left foot 
so far ahead of you, and well toed out, that you 



220 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

are pretty well down near the ground, as if do- 
ing the split. The right leg shoves off as 
strongly as it can to start its kick, and the back, 
leg and opposite arm swing np together. The 
whole leg from the waist down, but most espe- 
cially the knee, bears the burden of such a jump, 
which has been described as running against 
and bouncing off one's leg. As in the broad- 
jump the speed must be reduced so that it does 
not kill the spring. However, most fellows fail 
to realize the full strength of their leg, as they 
lack the confidence and fight to run in hard and 
still get away with a good jump. A powerful 
man is really not able to run fast enough to 
develop the full recoil resistance of his jumping 
leg, provided his form is natural enough so 
that it will not break down under pressure. 

There are many different styles of jumping 
and the most conspicuous jumpers often have 
the most specialized form. None but a spe- 
cially gifted man can hope to succeed without 
the continual aid of a really expert coach. No 
finished form exists which can have a better 
beginning than the simple and physically cor- 
rect jump outlined above. This very outline 
will fit approximately the special details of the 
form practised by practically every man who 
has jumped six feet. A beginner must avoid 
freak specialties and acquire those good habits 
which will in the end adapt themselves advan- 
tageously to what eccentricities he may develop. 



THE RUNNING JUMPS 221 

Pole-Vaulting 

Pole-vaulting is an art most readily mas- 
tered by a good hnrdler, broad-jumper, or bigb- 
jumper, in tbe same way tbat a good vaulter 
bas also an aptitude for tbe last-named events. 
Brute strengtb is not wortb its weigbt, altbougb 
many powerful fellows weigbing over one bun- 
dred and sixty pounds must be conceded to be 
of cbampionsbip caliber. In any case agility is 
indispensable, and it is a general rule tbat suc- 
cessful vaulters bave previously sbown class 
at some otber sport. E. A. Gardner, of Yale, 
was U. S. Amateur Golf Cbampion before be 
won tbe Intercollegiate pole-vault. Babcock, of 
Columbia, was a bigb- jumper and broad- jumper 
on tbe N. Y. A. C. team before be competed as a 
vaulter and won tbe Intercollegiate and Olym- 
pic cbampionsbips. None wbo cannot perform 
creditably at some otber field event or sport 
are likely to meet witb success at pole-vaulting. 

Of tbe two distinct styles of vaulting tbe 
most elementary is tbe easiest beginning for a 
novice. Tbis consists in not sbifting tbe bands 
from tbe position tbey bold wben running down 
to tbe take-off. Bill Quinn, late field-events 
coacb at Harvard, said of tbis tbat it would 
teacb a man more tban most coacbes could. Al- 
tbougb many coaches as well as candidates neg- 
lect it, tbe exercise of vaulting witbout sbifting 
tbe lower band is tbe most valuable of all 



222 THE BOOK^F ATHLETICS 

practice stunts. Both novice and expert should 
practice this way regularly, as here described. 
It is taken for granted that every one vaults 
off his left foot, holding the pole on the right 
side when running. It is best to be content 
with a six-foot height at first, and have a reg- 
ular practice mark of 35 to 40 feet from the 
hole. Hold the pole low, at arm's length on the 
right side, gripping tightly with the hands 
about thirty inches apart and thumbs toward 
the upper end of pole. In the last two strides 
swing the pole out ahead from the side and let 
it slide along the ground into the socket, and 
quickly swing the arms over the head in a wide 
upward curve. Very little energy or speed 
need go into the run, as the whole thing is the 
spring up under the pole. On springing, shove 
down into and against the pole as if to bend it 
double. While the lower arm shoves desper- 
ately and the upper or right is braced for a 
pull, the body lifts itself against this fulcrum 
so that the chest grazes the pole, and the thighs, 
closely doubled up, slide along it. The muscles 
connecting the shoulders and torso are the ones 
which do the work, and they alone have license 
to tire soon. A full lift without any twist what- 
soever will turn the back up and the belly down 
over the bar, when the handstand on the pole 
is completed. In the last minute lift with back 
and arms into a close jack-knife, with the knees 
near the chin and the cross-bar in between, and 




J. B. CAMP CLEARIXd 12 FEET AT 

THE OLYMPIC TRY-OUTS, JUKE, 

1912, FOR THIRD PLACE. 



WACioNER OF YALE, FORMER INTER- 
COLLEGIATE RECORD-HOLDER, 
POISING HIS POLE BEFORE 
STARTING HIS RUN. 




J. B. CAMP OF HARVARD. CAMP TIED WA<iuKJ 

FOR FIRST PLACE IN THE INTER- 
COLLEGIATES OF 1914. 



G IX( HES. 



THE POLE-VAULT 



THE RUNNING JUMPS 223 

shove off clear. In this exercise, as in all other 
practice work and vaulting at low heights, the 
standards should be set a foot or more back 
from the hole in order to give distance as well 
as height and to encourage a very long swing 
and a delayed but sharp pull-up. This is in the 
nature of advance preparation for the greater 
heights. 

Elaborate coaching is confusing to a begin- 
ner, who starts worrying when he is on top of 
the cross-bar about what he has been told to do, 
and forgets what he is then about and makes 
some new blunder. Of course those rare can- 
didates who stop to think before they vault, 
and having everything settled in their heads 
then give their whole souls to the deed, are 
material for future champions. However, 
vaulting itself is of little use to most men for 
unvaried practice, and the simplest way to 
court improvement is in the repetition of fool- 
ish isolated exercises until the separate ele- 
ments are introduced as habits into the general 
vaulting. Of these, the first and last is vault- 
ing without a shift, which is, indeed, of little 
help to many because they are so weak in the 
body and shoulders that it seems hard and they 
give it up before they can do it well. The sec- 
ond is vaulting with a shift, but without a turn 
and not using a cross-bar. Use the regular 
practice mark of 35 to 40 feet and, at first, a 
hold of only as high as you can reach on the 



224 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

pole, when it is standing npriglit in tlie hole. 
Run down slowly, and as you are planting the 
pole in the hole, slide the lower or left hand up 
close to the right, and extend the pole high 
above the head before the jumping foot springs 
off the ground. Swing out at arm's length until 
nearing the ground and then pull your head up 
as far as you can along the pole, at the same 
time clamping this to the stomach and the knees 
to the chest. Strike the dirt in this position, 
where you will hit first on your feet, but over- 
balanced forward. Later with a higher hold and 
an acute pull after the pole has swung past ver- 
tical you may land out beyond the pit, dragging 
the pole with you and sprawling forward on 
hands and knees. This exercise may be used 
with the bar at low heights, but no more than 
seven feet. It should teach a long free swing 
and help eliminate the body twist with which 
so many sloppy vaulters imitate the turn. The 
impetus of a pull-up that is delayed until the 
pole has swung through to an inclination of 
seventy-five degrees angle to the ground, or 
more, will turn the body instantly through a 
half revolution, so that the breast faces the bar 
and one lands facing it. The twin of this may 
be practised without pit or run, when holding 
about seven feet up the pole. Plant the pole 
ahead of you, take a step, and pull up on it 
until head, knees, and hands are together and 
the pole is passing by the hips, and stay there 



THE RUNNING JUMPS 225 

until it has swung on and dropped you, still 
hunched up, on your feet. The same thing can 
be done on a climbing pole in a gymnasium, 
where the German horse and tumbling are also 
recommended for vaulters. For a good illus- 
tration of the movements which follow the 
pull-up and give the turn, proceed as follows: 
Grasp the pole with the hands together and the 
lower end in the hole or against a wall; then 
squat with back to said hole or wall, and the 
pole at a ten degree angle with the ground. 
With head, knees and hands in the same line 
pull the pole through, past the hips. Pull hard 
enough to bring yourself to a position facing 
the hole or wall, and in a direction so that the 
pole has passed close by your right ear all the 
while. Exactly this should happen when you 
vault with the difference of ninety degrees in 
the plane of the experiment. 

After a long swing, a delayed pull-up and a 
handstand on the pole with jack-knife have 
been learned, there remains only the detail of 
handling the pole and getting off the ground 
smoothly. Indeed in a couple of good years of 
experience most men master these matters, 
naturally, and the so-called detail gets to be 
the whole art of exceeding the present height 
limit of thirteen feet two and one-quarter 
inches. When holding high on the pole one 
enters the vault with the pole only a few de- 
grees away from horizontal or dead-center. 



226 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

Against the speed of a spirited run it requires 
quickness and precision to swing the pole up 
and out of dead center, before the weight of the 
vaulter crashes head-on against the upward 
rise of the pole. A strong spring, i. e. the recoil 
of the body into the air from a braced leg, will 
assist the pole into its swing. If in addition to 
this one is dangling at full arm's length, the 
jar of the change of direction is felt less. A 
perfect tangent curve from the ground gives 
the least possible jar, and such a fast swing as 
will aid the pull-up. 

The marks for the run are the same as for 
the broad- jump, and measured from the hole 
where the pole lodges. The jumping foot 
should take-off from a spot exactly under the 
hands when they are held at the proper point 
on the pole for the following vault, the pole 
being in the hole and the arms extended above 
the head. On every vault watch the mark your 
foot makes in the dust and test it to see if it 
is just under your hands as they hold the pole 
up high. The manner of holding the bamboo 
for the run is rather important. The hands 
grasp it loosely, about three feet apart, so that 
the forward end is pointing up at an angle of 
thirty degrees. The body must face squarely 
down the path ; the shoulders alone are twisted 
toward the line of the pole. The right arm is 
twisted so that the elbow is directly above the 
pole. This rests against the heel of the palm. 



THE RUNNING JUMPS 227 

fingers loose. The left shoulder reaches as far 
forward and to the left as it can go, in order 
that this elbow may be directly under the pole, 
which rests between the bent-back first finger 
and thumb on the palm of the hand. In this 
fashion one runs practically free of the pole, 
which balances itself between the palms of the 
hands. Only the shoulders are askew and the 
body faces directly forward with no sidewise 
strain. About three strides from the take-off 
the pole must be cast ahead spear-fashion, with 
one hand, and wait in the hole, where it is al- 
ready swinging up as you take the last stride. 
As you spring the pole should already be at 
arm's length, overhead. Failing in this perfec- 
tion of detail, be sure to shove it up above you 
as far and as quickly as possible. Don't forget 
that the whole weight of your body must come 
against and be sustained by the jumping leg as 
much as in the broad-jump, or your dead weight 
against the pole will slow its swing quite hope- 
lessly. To this end the run is down in a crouch, 
in the last few strides, and one has turned off 
some of the speed and is coasting while gather- 
ing strength for the extra effort of the spring. 
A beginner need not worry much with the 
complicated descriptions here, but with the aid 
of the exercises go ahead and vault. Improve- 
ment inevitably comes very slowly and it is a 
four or five years' course for a degree of ex- 
pert. Ten feet or so is all that it is worth while 



228 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

doing in high school, as without good coaching 
the higher.a fellow goes the worse the faults he 
develops. The college stars are largely men 
who have not done eleven feet before they went 
to college and have started to vault only in the 
last years or year of preparatory-school. 

Training for Jumps 

For high school boys, training is a different 
matter than for college fellows, especially in 
the common lack of a really reliable coach. At 
this age exercise and not training is to be 
sought. Three days a week is the maximum 
limit for practice, of which only one may be 
used for competition of any kind. For college 
men, four days is the most to be desired. No 
broad-jumper should jump more than twice a 
week, although at this event as at the others 
there should be a liberal mixture of various 
exercise for its own sake. Sprinting, hurdling, 
and long jogs after practice should be a regular 
part of the early season work, but as the meets 
come along, absolutely all exercise beyond the 
limited practice of one's special event should 
gradually be abandoned for absolute rest. Be- 
fore and after a meet as well there ought to be 
a rest of two days at least. This is because the 
field events exhaust little muscular energy but 
a great deal of nervous force, which can be re- 
placed and accumulated only by inaction. For 



THE RUNNING JUMPS 229 

the same reason strict training beyond enough 
sleep and decent care of the diet is inadvisable. 
One has to take particular pains with the way 
he performs in a meet. Many capable men fail 
to show when they get where there is a little 
excitement. It is best to look forward to meets 
as little as possible, and, even when on the point 
of jumping, to think as little as may be of the 
crowd of spectators and how badly you want 
to beat your opponent. This is the crucial time 
for concentration of every faculty on the jump 
itself. As you stand ready to leave the mark, 
take a full minute to visualize your whole ac- 
tion. Imagine it all so keenly that you can feel 
in your muscles what each one is doing as you 
seem to feel yourself clearing the bar. Don't 
start until every muscle has repeated satisfac- 
torily the message you sent it. Entertain no 
doubts or fears at this time, but only the sensa- 
tions of jumping or vaulting. In this way one 
leaves the mark with the whole body intent on 
its duty, and the mind a blank except for a feel- 
ing of tension. Watch against checking or 
forcing the run because of excitement. This 
system may make your head tired but it avoids 
perplexity of head or muscles. One must elimi- 
nate all personal emotion to concentrate on his 
performance as on a mathematical problem. 
Worrying as to how high the opponent will go, 
wishing him a failure on his attempt, thinking 
of the reward of victory or defeat: all these 



230 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

lessen one's own efficiency. To be cheerful and 
care-free between jumps, to be indifferent to the 
triumphs and the failures, is to really enjoy the 
sport as such. It leaves pleasanter memories 
and, win, lose, or draw, makes the sport worth 
the candle. 



THE OLYMPIC GAMES OF 1912 



THE OLYMPIC GAMES OF 1912 

BY BALPH C. CEAIG 

The try-outs for the 1912 Olympic team were 
held in three sections of the country — one 
in Boston, one in Chicago, and one in San Fran- 
cisco. In this way a candidate for the team 
competed against all of the best athletes in the 
United States. The records of these three try- 
outs, with proper allowances for weather condi- 
tions, and so forth, were the basis for the team 
selection committee. This committee had a 
hard, thankless job, but when, after hours of 
hard work, they announced the selections for 
the Olympic team, every one agreed that they 
had done their work remarkably well. 

The lucky athletes who were chosen by the 
committee were notified of that fact on Tues- 
day, June 11th, and given instructions about 
the various meetings to organize the team, the 
most important of which was held at the New 
York Athletic Club the evening before the team 
sailed. Then for the first time we realized that 
we were a team representing the United States. 
Before this time we had been a number of indi- 
viduals working for ourselves and competing 
for ourselves to make the team, but at this first 

233 



234 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

meeting of the team we realized that now we 
all went to make up one unit, one body of men 
picked from one hundred million people to rep- 
resent them at a contest with all the nations of 
the world. It gave us a very different sort of 
feeling and made us realize the responsibility 
that rested upon us ; that we must not only do 
our best in an athletic way, but that we must 
represent our country all of the time we were 
there. If we won, to win in a decent sort of a 
way; if we lost, to lose like men, but all of the 
time to show the different nations who were 
congregated there that we were American gen- 
tlemen. 

At this meeting the Olympic Games first be- 
gan to have a real meaning to us. Previous to 
this time the try-outs had been the big thing, 
and the Olympic Games only a hoped-for possi- 
bility, but now that the try-outs were over, we 
came into sight of our real aim. The mere fact 
of being with a large body of men and boys who 
had been picked from all over the country for 
the same purpose, who had been working, all 
unknown to one another, for the same thing, 
was an inspiration in itself, and where it had 
seemed work before, we began to see where it 
would be a pleasure to get out and train. 

We had a very good example of determina- 
tion to follow before we had lost sight of Sandy 
Hook. Soon after the ship left the dock a fif- 
teen-year-old American boy had been dis- 



THE OLYMPIC GAMES OF 1912 235 

covered, ^* stowed away '* in one of the life- 
boats. The captain, of course, ordered him sent 
ashore with the pilot. Colonel Thompson, the 
president of the American committee, heard of 
it just as the boy was going down the ladder 
and immediately rushed forward and offered 
to pay the boy^s passage. This was done and 
** Shorty," as he came to be known, was made 
mascot of the team. His home was in Toledo, 
Ohio, and having made np his mind to see the 
Olympic Games, he had worked his way to New 
York and stowed away on the Finland. It is 
not a thing that I would advise any American 
boy to do, but having made up his mind to do 
it, Shorty showed great pluck and determina- 
tion in carrying out his decision. 

Conveniences on Shipboard 

Every possible provision had been made by 
the committee to make the most of the trip. Of 
course, on such a trip an athlete cannot do his 
best training. The decks are so hard that even 
ordinary work-outs make the muscles of the legs 
very sore. To help obviate this a cork track 
had been laid all along one side of the deck. 
This made things much better, but still hard 
work was out of the question. The other 
branches of sports had also been provided for. 
Swimming-tanks had been swung out over the 
deck for the swimming team ; a swinging target 



236 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

tung for the revolver team ; armor-steel backs 
for the rifle targets ; home trainers for the bi- 
cycle riders; hanging ropes and bars for the 
pole-vaulters ; and the one tennis player on 
board had a wooden backstop set up on the aft 
deck. This was a rather expensive practice, 
though, as his daily average of lost balls was 
about three or four. 

With such splendid arrangements and the un- 
usually good weather we enjoyed, there was 
something going on all day long in the line of 
training. The runners were divided into 
squads, one working in the morning and the 
other in the afternoon, and cries of ^* Track,'* 
^ ^ Track, ' ' could be heard as they came around 
the deck. The revolver team was at it morning 
and afternoon, but as they practised away aft, 
they did not bother any one, but the rifle team 
on the boat deck were a great nuisance. They 
would tire of firing at their targets and prac- 
tise on the wave-tops. To the people on the 
promenade deck the reports of the rifles fired 
over the edge sounded like twelve-inch guns, 
and the rifle team was nearly mobbed on sev- 
eral occasions after long-continued wave prac- 
tice. 

The weight men practised on any cleared 
spots on the deck. The bunch of discus-throw- 
ers showed some American ingenuity and 
threw the discus out into the ocean with a rope 
attached. This scheme was very satisfactory 



THE OLYMPIC GAMES OF 1912 237 

in theory, but the discus would not '' sail '' and 
so it had to be given up. The fencing team 
could be stumbled over in almost any odd cor- 
ner of the boat, and the swimming-tank was 
always a center of attraction. 

There was a large crowd at the pier at Stock- 
holm to meet us and we were officially wel- 
comed to Sweden by a committee of prominent 
men, the entire Swedish track team and several 
other Swedish organizations. 

The Swedish track team under the leadership 
of '^ Ernie " Hjertberg sang several Amer- 
ican songs and ended with the Swedish national 
anthem. 

Their welcome, as they afterwards demon- 
strated, was not merely a word welcome, but 
they were all genuinely glad to see us and they 
could not do enough for us. This was shown 
by innumerable incidents that are very interest- 
ing as they show the natural courtesy of the 
Swedes and the high regard they have for the 
Americans. 

At the meet itself, if the Swedes could not 
win an event, they were cheering for the Amer- 
icans and any American win was loudly ap- 
plauded. 

The Opening of the Games 

The solemn opening of the Olympic Games 
of 1912 was a most interesting occasion. All 



238 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

of the competing athletes marched into the Sta- 
dium and were marshaled before the king. In 
a brief speech we were made welcome to Swe- 
den, and the games officially declared opened. 
Then we marched past the royal box and sa- 
luted the king as we went out. 

It was an impressive occasion. The various 
teams were in their official uniforms and the 
American team made a very creditable show- 
ing. We had drilled on the Finland for nearly 
a week, so the team marched by with some sem- 
blance of military precision, the blue coats with 
the shield over the heart, the white trousers, 
white shoes and straw hats with the shield on 
the hat band, showing up very well against the 
more gaudy uniforms of many of the nations. 

The first track and field events of the games, 
the javelin-throw and the hundred-meter dash, 
came that afternoon, and the time had come for 
which we had all been working for the past six 
months. It was probably the biggest meet that 
any of us would ever go into, but somehow it 
did not seem bigger or different from any other 
meet, at that time. "We knew that our country 
was looking toward us to uphold her honor in 
the events and that made the nervous strain 
more intense, but the chief thought in most of 
our minds was the one thought of going out and 
doing our best. 

The strain in the dashes was made greater 
because of the Olympic ruling which seems to 



THE OLYMPIC GAMES OF 1912 239 

us very foolish. As every boy knows, there is 
a penalty for a false start, in this country, of 
one yard for each break, with disqualification 
for the third false start. But in the Olympic 
meets the rule reads that there is no penalty 
for such a false start. 

There seems to be no real reason for such 
a rule as this, except the matter of custom, 
and there are many reasons why it should 
be changed. 

In the first place, it makes it much harder 
for the starter. The men are under a greater 
nervous strain, and knowing that there is no 
penalty for a false start, go off at the slightest 
indication of a move on the part of any of the 
other competitors. Starting a race in such a 
meet takes a very experienced man, and even 
with the penalty of one yard for a false break, 
it is sometimes hard to get the men off to a 
good start, but with no penalty it is almost im- 
possible unless the men have confidence, not 
only in the integrity of the starter, but in his 
ability and experience. 

But the Swedes had shown the same fore- 
thought along this line that made the games as 
a whole such a success, and the starter had 
been under the careful training of Ernest 
Hjertberg for nearly two years. He was a 
very capable and efficient man, and after the 
boys learned this fact and knew that he was 
so good that no one would get even the smallest 



240 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

** lift " on the gun, there was no trouble from 
false starts. 

There were eighteen heats and six semi-finals 
run off in the hundred meters on that first af- 
ternoon, and in nearly all of these there were 
a number of false starts, and in some cases, as 
many as eleven or twelve. 

One-Hundred-Meter Finals 

The finals of the hundred did not come until 
the second day of the games, but the javelin- 
throw was finished that first afternoon, the 
Swedish representative. Lemming, establishing 
a new world 's record. It was very appropriate 
that Sweden should win the first event of the 
meet, and every one on the American team was 
very much pleased. 

The excitement which followed the running 
up of the Swedish flag for first place was in- 
tense. A steady roar of individual yelling kept 
up for nearly ten minutes, and then the crowd 
** got together " and yelled for every one and 
everything that could possibly be connected 
with the event, their E-r-rah ! E-r-rah ! E-r-rah ! 
E-r-rah I sounding much like one of our college 
yells. 

The finals in the hundred meters came on the 
second day of the meet, and it was the first final 
of the track events. There were five men in this 
race, four Americans and the South African 



THE OLYMPIC GAMES OF 1912 241 

Patching, who had just won the British cham- 
pionships in record time. The men took their 
marks, and on the s^econd start the pistol was 
fired. We all got away, but when part way 
down the course, heard a medley of whistles, 
bells and revolver shots. Three of the men 
stopped, but Lippincott and I were taking no 
chances and ran through the entire course only 
to learn that Lippincott had beaten the gun and 
that we must start again. 

We were all very nervous after that and it 
took a few more starts to get us away to an 
even break. When the judges turned in their 
decision we learned that the South African had 
been shut out and three American flags were 
run up above the Stadium, where they floated 
proudly in the air high above the banners of 
the thirty nations who were represented at 
Stockholm. 

In all, this occurred five times, an unheard-of 
thing before the 1912 games. At nearly all of 
the previous meets one or two nations had 
swept the field in one event, but never before 
had one nation taken all three places in five 
different events. These ^ve events were the 
one hundred meters, eight hundred meters, 
pole-vault, high hurdles and best hand shotput. 

The competitors in the dashes had little op- 
portunity to see many of the early events at 
the games, for, until their events were over, 
they had orders to stay on the boat except when 



242 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

they were at the Stadium for their own races. 
While we did miss seeing many of the events, 
that was not what we we^it over for, and we 
were all satisfied to do everything that we pos- 
sibly eonld to be in the best shape for our own 
races. 

The finals of the eight hundred meters 
brought out a remarkable field of runners and 
it, too, resulted in a clean sweep for the United 
States with the three men so close that a hand- 
kerchief could have covered them all, the win- 
ner, Ted Meredith, being a twenty-year-old 
schoolboy from Mercersberg Academy. It was 
a truly remarkable race, as all three men were 
well under the previous world's record for the 
event. 

Eight hundred meters is a little less than a 
half mile, but the men continued to the half 
mile mark to establish a new world 's record for 
that distance. 

The examples of Meredith and Lippincott 
show that schoolboys and freshmen in college 
have a chance to make this team and that in 
many cases they are as good athletes as the 
men who have had more experience. Lippin- 
cott was a boy eighteen years old, and a fresh- 
man in the University of Pennsylvania. He 
did not sacrifice his studies for athletics, as 
there are very few boys who get to college be- 
fore they are seventeen years old. Meredith 
spent several years in a trade school before de- 



THE OLYMPIC GAMES OF 1912 243 

ciding to go to college, but his standing in his 
school work has always been high. 



The Marathon 

The Marathon is always one of the most ex- 
citing events of the games and this year it was 
no exception. The Stadium was packed long 
before the event was scheduled and when the 
runners came out on the field there was a great 
deal of enthusiasm. The Swedes, while they 
are not as enthusiastic naturally as the Amer- 
icans, are more so than many of the European 
nations and it is not considered bad form to 
cheer. 

The Marathon course this year was not 
straight-away, as it usually has been, but it was 
an out-and-back course, the men running out 
to a station about thirteen miles from the Sta- 
dium and returning by the same route to the 
Stadium. There were reporting stations at in- 
tervals of about four miles and reports were 
wired in to the Stadium as the men passed each 
station. These were announced to the crowds 
and on a miniature flagpole the flags of the first 
six men were run up in the order running. 

The race takes nearly two hours and a half 
and the excitement and suspense gets worse 
every minute. To the crowds in the American 
section it was not very encouraging to get no 
report from any of the American runners, after 



244 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

the first few stations, and to see six foreign 
flags run up for each station report. But we 
were not discouraged as we had a great deal of 
faith in our American team, and when on the 
last report an American was running fifth, we 
began really to have some hope that we might 
win the event. 

Long before the men could possibly be any- 
where near their goal, the crowds grew very 
quiet and every eye was turned towards the 
arch, through which the men must enter the 
Stadium. When the bugle from outside an- 
nounced that the first man was in sight, every- 
thing was so still that you could have heard the 
proverbial pin drop. No one knew what colors 
could be seen first and every one was hoping 
that it would be those of his own country. So 
great were those hopes that when Mac Arthur 
in the green and brown of South Africa came 
trotting in, there was an absolute silence. This 
was broken almost immediately by wild yells 
from the small crowd of South Africans, and 
the other nations forgot their disappointment 
enough to cheer loudly for the plucky runner, 
who was moving slowly around the Stadium. 
About one hundred yards from the finish one 
of the officials slipped a large wreath over his 
head and shoulder. This seemed to bring forth 
his last bit of reserve and he came on faster, 
and where his pace had been little faster than 
a walk it became a slow dog-trot. 



THE OLYMPIC GAMES OF 1912 245 

After lie crossed the line Ms legs would not 
support him and he fell on the soft grass, but 
in ten minutes he was all right again and able 
to walk oif the field. 

The second man, another South African, fin- 
ished about a minute later, and the third man 
was an American. From then on, the red, 
white and blue shield came into the stadium in 
rapid-fire order, and out of the first seventeen 
men, ten were Americans. So even though we 
did not win the individual honors, our team as 
a whole made a splendid showing. 

The games as a whole were very efficiently 
conducted. This was due to the careful organ- 
ization and planning on the part of the Swedish 
committee, who started to work as soon as the 
games were awarded to Sweden in 1908. In 
1910 they engaged Mr. Ernest Hjertberg, a 
native of Sweden, but who had lived most of his 
life in New York and who was at that time 
coach of the Irish-American Athletic Club, and 
it was his knowledge of how a modern meet 
should be conducted that enabled Sweden to 
have such a well-conducted meet. 

One of the great aids of the actual conduct- 
ing of the meet was the Boy Scouts of Sweden. 
Details of the Scouts were in constant attend- 
ance at the games and they helped very mate- 
rially in the smooth operation of the meet, and 
when the meet is again held in Sweden in about 
twenty years or so, these boys will be the men 



246 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

who are managing the meet, and the experience 
that they have had will be a great help to them 
at that time. 

The winners on the American team were not 
from any particular class of Americans, but 
they were schoolboys, college students, busi- 
ness men, engineers, policemen, and from 
nearly every branch of American life. They 
were typically representative Americans. 

The English papers may talk of specializa- 
tion and other reasons why their team was not 
successful, but the real reasons for the Amer- 
ican success were, first, in the careful organiza- 
tion of the committee in charge of the Amer- 
ican team. This committee went at the matter 
with the idea that what was worth doing was 
worth doing well. They started early in the 
winter to get the financial backing, which in 
itself was a big undertaking; they notified all 
athletes who would have any chance of repre- 
senting America, urging them to get out and 
train, and giving them information about the 
meet, the entries, and so forth. 

Secondly, the men on the American team 
went in for it with the idea of doing their best. 
In order to do this and to represent their coun- 
try worthily, there were certain sacrifices that 
they had to make. They must give up a lot of 
their time to hard training ; they must give up 
smoking if that was one of their pleasures ; and 
they must lead a careful, regular life for sev- 



THE OLYMPIC GAMES OF 1912 247 

eral months in order to be in condition to do 
their best. 

This was all possible because of onr Amer- 
ican spirit. When we make up our minds that 
we are going to do a thing we set to work to 
plan and prepare for it and then with a good 
preparation the battle is half won. 

However much the English newspapers may 
cry about American specialization and Amer- 
ican methods, and seem to show England up as 
a poor loser, the English athletes were a fine 
lot of men and boys — in fact all of the teams 
were splendid representatives of their various 
nations — and the best of feeling prevailed. 
There is a friendly feeling about athletic con- 
tests and though the rivalry may be keen and 
during a contest every nerve is strained to win, 
there is no bitterness shown and when the con- 
test is over the men in it are much better 
friends than before. This is one of the great- 
est things about the Olympic meet and one of 
the things which makes it very much worth 
while. It is more valuable than all the peace 
conferences in the world. Everything is open 
and above-board, and the element of real friend- 
ship enters. 

The huge banquet given for the contestants 
in the Stadium was a splendid example of the 
good feeling which prevailed. Nearly two 
thousand of the contestants and committeemen 
sat down in the Stadium to a banquet. The 



248 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 



1 



seats of the Stadium were crowded with spec- 
tators who came not so much ** to hear '' the 
athletes eat as to see the entertainment which 
was provided for them. And it was well worth 
coming for : a chorus of 3,000 men^s voices gave 
a number of Swedish songs, there were ad- 
dresses by the king and the crown prince, both 
of whom spoke in English, and Baron Courber- 
tain, the founder of the modern Olympic games. 
The rest of the evening was given over to fire- 
works and a general good time. The various 
nations were grouped and some team was yell- 
ing for one of the others all of the time. 

The Finns made one of the liveliest crowds 
on the field, and they more nearly resembled 
our college students than any one else we saw. 
A large group of them went around singing and 
whenever they met any one who had been suc- 
cessful in the meet, they would capture him and 
lay him out on the ground and pick him up. 
When he was resting on their hands over their 
heads, they would toss him in the air, similar 
to our tossing in a blanket, except that there 
was no blanket, and the unlucky victim would 
come down on their hands only to go up again. 
Size was no bar to their sport, and Ealph Eose 
and Pat MacDonald both were tossed, as well 
as a large number of others. 

The teams all intermingled and it was not at 
all uncommon to see a group of several differ- 
ent nationalities talking together, and in this 



THE OLYMPIC GAMES OF 1912 249 

nearly every other nation is more accomplished 
than we Americans, for many of the athletes 
spoke comparatively good English, while there 
were very few Americans who could make 
themselves understood in anything else but 
good old U. S. A. 

The Finland left at twelve-thirty next day. 
A crowd of over five thousand people gathered 
to see us off and practically every one stayed 
from six until the boat actually left. In fact, 
the crowd seemed to get larger instead of 
smaller and finally, when we did go, it was with 
the good wishes of every one on the pier. 

So the Olympic Games ended for us, and it 
is an experience which we, who were on the 
team, will never forget. We shall always be 
able to look back on the friends we made from 
all over our own country, who were our com- 
rades on the team, and the friends we made 
who did not have the good fortune to be bom 
under the Stars and Stripes. 



BASEBALL 



SCIENCE VS. SKILL IN BASEBALL 
by irving e. sanborn 
Tricks That Are Fair and Unfair 

Ever since baseball began to be governed by 
rules there has been constant warfare among 
the players, or active participants in the sport, 
and its rule-makers, or passive guardians. The 
playing rules of to-day are studded with regu- 
lations and clauses designed to correct abuses 
or to prohibit tricks which were unfair. 

No sooner is a new rule added to the list than 
the players begin to sit up nights trying to de- 
vise ways and means to beat it. All summer 
long shrewd brains of managers and their as- 
sistants are figuring methods to gain advan- 
tages over an opponent without transgressing 
the letter of the law. All winter long the club 
owners scheme to frame new rules or new 
wordings of old ones to frustrate attempts at 
unfairness. Therein lies one element of the 
game's continued success. The brainy players 
keep baseball progressing toward greater per- 
fection, while the governing board of rule- 
makers prevents fastening on the sport any 

253 



254 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

shrewd trick which would mar it in the eyes of 
the public, all the while permitting the science 
of the inside game to develop along legitimate 
lines. 

Not to go too far back into history, the rules 
used to forbid a substitute taking the place of 
a man in the game except in case of accident. 
That may sound odd to the younger generation, 
accustomed to see managers change pitchers at 
will and send in relays of substitute batsmen. 
In those days if a pitcher was batted hard his 
team had to take its medicine, but as few teams 
were well supplied with pitchers it did not 
matter much. Before long, as pitchers became 
more plentiful, the plan was devised of having 
a pitcher feign injury when a change was de- 
sired, and many a twirler used to wrench his 
ankle so severely sliding into a base that he had 
to be carried off the field. But once out of 
sight of the umpire the cripple (1) would start 
on the run for the clubhouse. After a few of 
these injured pitchers showed up in the box 
again for the following game the patrons mis- 
trusted the ruse and resented it. That was the 
cause of the rule permitting a manager to sub- 
stitute a player at any time. No sooner was 
that rule made than bright minds tried to beat 
it, and thereby hangs a story which, although 
often told, no amount of repetition can spoil. 

'' Mike '' Kelly, one of the famous '' $10,000 
beauties '^ sold by Chicago to Boston, was the 



SCIENCE vs. SKILL IN BASEBALL 255 

hero of the tale. He accepted the new rule about 
substitutes literally. One day when Flint was 
behind the bat an opposing batsman hit a foul 
fly which was coming down near the Chicago 
bench. Flint could not get near it. Kelly, who 
was captain of the team, was sitting on the 
bench, so he yelled to Flint: ** You are out of 
the game, and I am in it," then jumped up and 
caught the foul. The umpire would not allow 
the play, the game was protested and the um- 
pire's decision was upheld. 

The balk rules are another and more prolific 
cause of trouble and trickery. Down at the 
rock-bottom of things a balk is any act of the 
pitcher which deceives the baserunner into 
thinking the ball is going to be delivered to the 
plate when it is not. In actual practice, how- 
ever, it has been found that, if a pitcher is not 
permitted to deceive the runner to some ex- 
tent, it is almost impossible to keep a fast man 
from stealing bases. If the rules were rigidly 
enforced a man who reached first base would 
immediately proceed to third too frequently for 
good sport. 

It is a popular misapprehension that all 
bases are stolen off the catchers, but they are 
powerless to prevent a fast runner stealing 
second base unless the pitchers help by '* hold- 
ing up *' the runners. The difference between 
a successful steal and being thrown out at 
second is all in getting the lead. Of course, the 



256 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

catcher sometimes makes bad throws or drops 
the ball, but in general the average catcher has 
better than an even chance to throw out the 
average runner unless the pitcher allows him 
too long a lead off first base. When a runner 
steals third it almost always is the fault of the 
pitcher. 

It is to prevent stealing that the pitcher 
throws to bases to drive the runner back, not 
so much with the idea of catching a runner 
napping (as occasionally happens) as of ma- 
king him more cautious. For the same purpose 
the pitcher practises and tries to perfect a 
** motion, '^ as it is called. By this is really 
meant a balk, because its purpose is to deceive 
the runner and keep him in doubt as long as 
possible as to whether the ball is going to be 
delivered to the plate or thrown to the base. 
And it is necessary that this '' motion " pass 
muster with the umpires by observing the letter 
of the rules. 

Left-handed pitchers have the advantage in 
this respect, because they can watch the run- 
ner more closely while facing first base, and 
because of their peculiar delivery compared to 
that of the right-hander. But an old-time right- 
hander, named Vickery, had perfected the trick 
of stepping toward the plate or toward first 
base at will when he started his ^^ motion," and 
by this means he had the runners seriously 
worried. After several years of constant 



SCIENCE vs. SKILL IN BASEBALL 257 

watching one of his opponents discovered that 
when Vickery intended to throw to first base 
he kept his heels close together on the slab, but 
when he intended to pitch he stood with his 
heels apart. After the knowledge of this habit 
became general in the league he seldom caught 
a runner, and they stole many bases on him. 

When Frank Smith came to the White Sox 
from Birmingham he had everything to make 
a winner except that he could not keep tlie run- 
ners from taking long leads. Base-stealing 
was easy for his opponents, and one day, after 
holding a team to a few hits and being defeated 
by baserunning, he blamed his catcher for los- 
ing the game. Owner Comiskey heard of this, 
summoned the pitcher to his private office and 
asked him if it was true. Smith admitted it, 
whereupon the magnate said: 

^' I have already given your catcher a call- 
down, but not for losing the game. He dis- 
obeyed my orders. I told him the next time he 
caught when you were pitching, if a runner on 
first started to steal second he must throw to 
third to head him off. But he disobeyed me 
and kept throwing to second without a chance 
to get any one there. '^ 

The pitcher sulked for a while but spent all 
the next winter and spring learning to pitch 
without tipping the runner off where the ball 
was going, and when the next championship 
season began he caught a dozen runners nap- 



258 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

ping before they would believe he had acquired 
a ^' motion. '^ 

Some tricks have been attempted which were 
so manifestly unfair that they have been sup- 
pressed on the spot without resorting to special 
rules to forbid them. Not all of these were as 
barefaced, however, as a scheme which the 
Bloomington team worked some years ago on 
its old grounds. Left field was short and sloped 
off sharply to a lower level in which was located 
a pond which was out of sight of the rest of 
the playing field. It was not unusual for a ball 
which was hit over or past the left fielder to go 
into the water, in which case the batter made 
a home run. Edward Goeckel, later an umpire 
in the Chicago league, was arbitrating a series 
in Bloomington in those days, and noticed 
that the visiting team never seemed to hit any- 
thing into that pond, but every time the ball 
went over the slope it would be rescued in time 
to hold the batter on second or third, while the 
home team hit the pond several times. But he 
attributed that to the luck of baseball. In the 
final game of the series, near its end, the score 
was tied when one of the visiting players hit 
a long, high fly over left field. The fielder ran 
down out of sight after it, and as the ball came 
down it landed on the fly in the pond with such 
force that the splash of the water could be seen 
plainly from the home plate. Before the run- 
ner reached third base, however, the ball came 



SCIENCE vs, SKILL IN BASEBALL 259 

back up over the hill, and the shortstop relayed 
it to the plate in time to cut off the run. In 
surprise Goeckel took the ball from the catcher 
and found it was absolutely dry. The home 
team had a cache of balls hidden down there 
in the grass where the fielder could find them 
and throw in a substitute every time a visitor 
made a hit into the water. 

Eeturning to the more legitimate schemes of 
players to outwit the rule-makers the history of 
the ^' trapped ball '' or ^^ infield fly '' rule is 
interesting. A long time ago it was discovered 
that, if there were runners on first and second 
bases with no one out, or only one out, and the 
batsman hit a pop fly to an infielder, that in- 
fielder had the baserunners at his mercy. He 
could muff the fly, forcing both runners off 
their bases, and make a double play on them 
by quick work. Or, if the runners expected the 
trick and started to run, the infielder could 
catch the fly, thereby retiring the batsman, and 
then double up one of the runners before he 
could get back to his base. So many infielders 
became proficient in this trick that a double 
play was practically certain every time an in- 
field fly was hit under those circumstances. 

To prevent this the club owners framed a 
rule that the batsman was out on an infield fly 
whenever first base was occupied with less 
than two out, but after a brief trial it was 
found that no double play could be made on 



260 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

such a fly if there was a runner on first base 
only, provided the batsman ran to first as he 
should. Consequently the rule was modified, 
making it necessary, as is the case now, to have 
runners on both first and second bases before 
the batsman was automatically out on an infield 

fly. 

When first framed this rule did not define an 
infield fly, and that famous pair of '^ heavenly 
twins, '* as they were called, — Hugh Duffy, 
later manager of the White Sox, and ** Tom *' 
McCarthy, now in business in Boston, — evolved 
a plan to beat the new rule. They were playing 
together in the outfield of the Boston team 
which won so many National league champion- 
ships. Any time an opposing batsman hit an 
infield fly with less than two out and runners on 
first and second, if either Duffy or McCarthy 
could run in far enough to get under the fly they 
would do so, even if the ball came down near the 
diamond. Then they would muff it and double 
up both of the baserunners on the claim that it 
was not an infield fly, because handled by an 
outfielder. But before another season came 
around the rule-makers got busy and changed 
the rule so as to define an infield fly as one that 
^^ can be handled by an infielder," and made 
the umpire the judge. This prevented Duffy 
and McCarthy from coming in to ^ ^ trap ' ^ flies 
near the diamond, but that Boston pair used to 
work the trick occasionally on short outfield 



SCIENCE vs. SKILL IN BASEBALL 261 

flies which could not ^* be handled by an in- 
fielder/' and by fast work they could pull off 
double plays on unwary baserunners. That 
play can be made to-day, just as they did it, 
but is seldom attempted. 

There is a pretty general misapprehension 
among patrons concerning some of the rules, 
and frequently umpires are ^ ' roasted ' ^ for not 
allowing tricks which are forbidden by the 
rules, while other plays are branded as tricks, 
although they are perfectly legitimate accord- 
ing to the spirit as well as the letter of the law. 
Probably a great majority of baseball readers 
believe the famous Merkle play, by which the 
Cubs escaped defeat in New York, getting a 
drawn game instead, and then won the pennant 
by winning the play off of that draw, was a 
trick play worked on Merkle by John Evers. 
It was nothing more or less than the applica- 
tion of a rule which is seen in operation in 
every game, sometimes a dozen times a day. 
It is section 11 of rule 56, and 1 will quote the 
part of it which applies: 

** If, when the batsman becomes a base- 
runner, the first base, or the first and second 
bases, or the first, second and third bases be 
occupied, any baserunner so occupying a base 
shall cease, to be entitled to hold it, and may be 
put out at the next base in the same manner as 
in running to first base, or by being touched 
with the ball in the hands of a fielder at any 



262 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

time before any baserunner following him in 
the batting order be put out.'' 

Probably every one remembers the play 
which decided a pennant. In the last half of 
the ninth inning, with two men out, McCormick 
was on third, Merkle on first, and the score tied. 
Bridwell made a safe hit over second base. 
McCormick ran home with the winning run and 
Bridwell touched first base, but Merkle started 
for the clubhouse back of right field as soon as 
he saw the hit go safe, forgetting that he could 
be forced at second base * ' at any time ' ' before 
Bridwell was put out, according to that sec- 
tion 11. 

Evers realized Merkle 's blunder instantly 
and called for the ball. Several Giants saw the 
danger and tried to keep Evers from getting 
the ball and touching second, but he finally suc- 
ceeded. That made the third out a force-out 
and wiped out McCormick 's run, since none can 
score on a play in which the third out in an 
inning is forced. That left the game tied and 
it was so declared by Umpire O'Day and later 
by the league's directors, with the result well 
remembered. 

If any one still fails to grasp the idea, sup- 
pose that, with McCormick on third, Merkle on 
first, and two out, Evers had been .able to cut 
off BridwelPs hit over second and to toss the 
ball to Tinker in time to force Merkle out. No 
one familiar with baseball would expect Mc- 



SCIENCE vs, SKILL IN BASEBALL 263 

Cormick's run to count on that play. Suppose, 
again, that with the same men on the same 
bases Bridwell had hit an easy fly to center- 
field but that the fly had been muffed. That 
slip would have let McCormick score from 
third, but if the centerfielder could recover the 
muffed ball and throw to second before Merkle 
could get there the side would be retired on a 
force-out and the run could not count. 

The rule which applies in these two hypo- 
thetical cases was the one by whiclJ^Evers 
saved a pennant for Chicago. Three inconspic- 
uous words in that rule decided a champion- 
ship. Evers knew the rule by heart, but Mer- 
kle/s failure to grasp the significance of those 
three words — ' ' at any time ' ' — cost the New 
York club, his fellow-players, and Merkle him- 
self thousands of dollars. 



THE IMPOETANCE OF BATTING 

The future of baseball, the one professional 
sport in which all Americans can take pride, 
depends in great measure upon the boys of to- 
day. It will be only a few years before some 
of them will be the star players of the major 
leagues. The world *s champions of a no distant 
future are now being hatched in baseball's in- 
cubators, the school playgrounds, the village 
commons, the open lots ; in fact wherever young 
America gathers to lay the foundations of ster- 
ling manhood in clean, healthful, outdoor sport. 

Present indications are that the baseball of 
the next generation will become a somewhat 
different game unless the *attitude of the boy of 
to-day and the trend of his aspirations, if they 
lead to the diamond, are changed. It seems to 
be the desire of the boy and the young man to 
earn laurels and nation-wide fame as a great 
pitcher if he yearns to become a player at all. 
That is not peculiar to the boy of to-day, how- 
ever. It always has been true of boys, although 
not to as great an extent as now. 

To that fact, more than to the increased cun- 
ning of pitchers, is the steady decrease in bat- 
ting attributed by the thinking men of the base- 

264 



THE IMPORTANCE OF BATTING 265 

ball world. Nine out of every ten youngsters, 
who start playing ball with each other, want 
to shine as pitchers. The day on which he 
thinks he has mastered the art of curving a 
ball is one of the happiest in the average ath- 
letic boy's life; the day when he can prove it 
to his playmates or elders is one of the proud- 
est. Nine out of every ten want to become 
Christy Mathewsons or Ed Walshs. The tenth 
boy aspires to be a Ty Cobb or a Lajoie. 

The result has been a steadily increasing 
crop of ** near *' Mathewsons and ** near '' 
Walshs, and a decreased supply of batsmen 
anywhere nearly in the same class with Lajoie 
or Wagner. This is not altogether the fault of 
the boys of to-day. Almost as soon as they 
begin to read baseball they read praises of this 
or that great pitcher in nearly every paper. 
Before they can read they hear about pitchers 
and unusual pitching feats. The newspapers 
exalt the pitching end of the game. The pitcher 
is hailed as victor and often is blamed for de- 
feat. In the official records of baseball he is 
given credit for so many games " won '' dur- 
ing a season and is charged with so many games 
^* lost.'' Start an argument over the best 
pitcher in the world and it will wind up with 
the statement that * * so and so must be because 
he won the most games," or the highest per- 
centage of games in a season. 

No more false standard of comparison could 



266 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

be devised. Mathewson might have pitched for 
years with the present Boston National League 
team without achieving one-third the reputation 
he now enjoys. He would have been just as 
good a pitcher, although he would have won 
less than half as many games in a year and 
never would have been the hero of a world's 
series. The same is trne of Walsh. Only in 
comparatively limited fields would either have 
achieved greatness without teams and mana- 
gers to win games for them. A pitcher might 
shut out an opposing team for forty-six innings 
yet be denied victory unless his own team 
scored a run. And to make runs, by which vic- 
tories are won, requires batsmen. There are 
no records kept of the number of games won in 
a season by Lajoie's bat or by Ty Cobb's. 
These stars, and men like them, have won many 
a game for which the pitcher has been given 
credit by the spectators and in the permanent 
records. At the end of the season all the bats- 
man has to show for the games he has won is 
his batting average. If that is not the best or 
one of the best in the league it creates no loud 
talk outside of a limited field. 

The boy is not to blame, therefore, if when 
he gets his first chance at a baseball he tries 
to learn to pitch first of all. But it is all wrong 
in its results. A young player can be taught 
almost any part of baseball except batting. He 
who specializes on pitching at the expense of 



THE IMPORTANCE OF BATTING 267 

batting must become a good pitcher if be plays 
in the big leagues. Pitchers who have failed 
as such have made names in the game because 
they could bat. Mature players have been 
taught and developed in other positions than 
those to which they first devoted their atten- 
tion. The great Walsh was a ' ^ made ' ' pitcher 
to the extent that he had to be made over again, 
after winning success in a minor league, before 
he could become a major luminary. Scores of 
pitchers have been turned into stars of the in- 
field or outfield. 

It would seem from this that it ought to be 
possible to teach a ball player how to bat after 
he has reached the majors, but no one has been 
able to do that. Batting is something that must 
be born in a player, it is claimed. That is not 
altogether true, but it is an instinct that can- 
not be taught by any tutor or learned from any 
books. It can be acquired by a great many 
more young players than now have it if they 
will begin early enough. The boy who will buy 
himself a bat and proceed to hunt up all the 
other boys of his acquaintance, who want to be 
pitchers, and let them pitch to him to their 
hearts' content will instill into himself a lot of 
batting instinct, even if none of it is born in 
him. By that early and steady practice he will 
train his young eyes and brain to the marks- 
manship which is absolutely necessary to the 
good batsman. While instincts still are being 



268 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

formed he will learn in this way to judge the 
speed of every ball pitched to him by his young 
friends and to guess from their actions or the 
appearance of the ball itself what sort of things 
the ball is going to do before or when it gets 
to him. And he will form the habit of hitting 
naturally but in different ways at different 
speeds and different curves. This is the great 
factor in batting. When a player reaches the 
major leagues his habits have become too firmly 
fixed to be changed without making him start 
all over again and spend years practising what 
he might have learned as a boy. Besides, he 
has not the time to spare because the active 
life of a ball player is limited. 

The development of the game on the town 
lots is all against the batsman. When two 
proud possessors of a pair of gloves and a base- 
ball between them meet in the backyard or on 
an open lot, they immediately begin practising 
pitching to each other. When half a dozen or 
more get together they start a " game,*' one 
or two of them being batters while the rest 
spread over the lot trying to get them out. 
When there are enough boys on hand they 
'^ choose up sides '' and start a real game. In 
these ways they do not get much practice in 
batting. The greater part of the time is spent 
in waiting in the field or ^^ on the bench '' for 
their turns to go to bat. When they do come 
they usually try to hit the ball as far as possi- 



THE IMPORTANCE OF BATTING 269 

ble, out of every one's reach, so as to stay 
^* in '* as long as possible. That in itself is one 
of the worst habits a boy who wants to be a 
good ball player can form. If he goes into a 
strong league with that habit of hitting as hard 
as he can at the ball, and unable to hit any 
other way, he will be the easiest kind of a mark 
for a good pitcher with a head. He may be a 
wonder as a boy or in the smaller leagues, 
where experienced pitchers are not encoun- 
tered every day. But when he comes to face 
them in every game his average will shrink 
astonishingly. Unless he gives remarkable 
promise in other ways the manager will not 
even try to teach him a different ^^ form '' in 
batting because of the time required and the 
doubtfulness of the result. 

The lad who wants to make his name in base- 
ball stands the best chance of success if he will 
begin at once to practise batting. Instead of 
dividing their time between pitching and catch- 
ing, when two boys get together, they can make 
more of themselves by dividing it between bat- 
ting and pitching to each other. And if one of 
them is ambitious to pitch all the time, while 
the other boy bats, watch the boy who keeps the 
bat all the time. He will go farther and higher 
and stay longer than the one who insists on 
pitching. This presupposes, of course, that 
they are fairly matched in athletic ability. 

Instead of trying to hit the ball hard, which 



270 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

is likely to make trouble for the boys if there 
are people or windows near by, besides wasting 
a lot of time chasing the ball, let the embryonic 
batsman practise merely meeting the ball with 
his bat so as to send it back to the pitcher. Let 
him try to hit every ball pitched to him in that 
way. He won't be able to hit all of them at 
first and they won't all go back to the pitcher, 
but by standing up near the wall of a building 
or against a fence it won't delay matters much 
if he does not hit all of them. The ^' back- 
stop " will act as catcher. Before long it will 
surprise him, if he is an observing lad, how 
many more pitched balls he can hit right back 
to the pitcher than when he started practising. 
In that way the boy will learn a lot about 
placing hits, since his object will be to hit them 
to the other boy, no matter how they come to 
him. Later on he will be better able to hit 
them ** where they ain't," as the players say. 
He will learn to hit ^at the ball and meet it in 
the same way at almost any angle and from any 
position. He will become versatile and that 
will give him greater resource and confidence 
at bat if he ever becomes a professional or col- 
lege player. The easiest thing in the world is 
to hit a ball hard, provided one can meet it 
squarely with the bat. No great strength is 
required. To meet it squarely is the real secret 
of batting and the boy who learns only to take 
a full, hard swing at the ball will not hit it 



THE IMPORTANCE OF BATTING 271 

squarely very often when he faces a versatile 
pitcher. 

As for the glory and the fame the advantages 
are with the star batsman in the long run. The 
player who bats above '' three hundred *' can 
shine on a tail-end team almost as well as if sur- 
rounded by champions. There may be less am- 
bition and incentive, but it »all depends upon 
himself. He can command nearly as large a 
salary on a second-division team as on a win- 
ner. But the pitcher, if it is his misfortune to 
become part of a tail-end team, will have his 
real worth recognized only by those who make 
a study of baseball and often his salary will be 
much less than that of a pitcher who has less 
ability but better luck in having his lot cast 
with a strong team. 

The rise of the good batsman will be much 
faster than that of the good pitcher, because 
there are now so few who bat well and so many 
who look like promising pitchers. Once at the 
top the player who can bat steadily at a three 
hundred, or even a two hundred and seventy- 
five gait, will not only earn more money than 
the pitcher of average ability, but will earn it 
longer. A player can retain his batting * * eye ^ ^ 
much longer as a rule than he can keep his 
pitching ** arm '^ in winning shape. And if 
lasting fame is the end sought, is it not true 
that the great batsmen of the past generation 
are more widely known to-day than are the 



272 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

great masters of the pitching art of the same 
period? Anson and Goldsmith and McCormick 
were contemporaries, but yon hear Anson's 
name mentioned a dozen times for every time 
you hear either of those pitchers mentioned. 
None of Detroit's ^' Big Four " — Brouthers, 
Eowe, Eichardson, and White — was a pitcher. 
They won their title with their bats. The ex- 
amples could be multiplied indefinitely. From 
past experience it is probable, therefore, that 
Lajoie and Wagner will be known to the next 
generation of fans much more widely than will 
Mathewson or any other pitcher of to-day, ex- 
cept possibly the inimitable '* Cy " Young, who 
broke all records by his splendid and extended 
pitching career. 

^' Hans " Wagner owes his fame to the fact 
that he was a batsman and could not help it. All 
his boyhood ambitions were to become a pitcher. 
He began trying to pitch for independent teams 
in Pennsylvania. His brother, Al Wagner, ad- 
vanced faster and made an earlier name in the 
game. One year the Steubenville team was 
sadly in need of players and its manager asked 
Al Wagner if he knew of any young players 
who were not signed. ^' Why don't you send 
for my brother Hans? He thinks he can 
pitch, ' ' was the answer. 

Hans was sent for and, so the story goes, 
rode all the way on a freight train to join the 
team. On his arrival there were no baseball 



THE IMPORTANCE OF BATTING 273 

shoes in the town large enough for Hans. That 
did not deter him and he tried pitching in his 
ordinary shoes. They were too slippery, so he 
finished the game in his stocking feet. Hans 
was not a success as a pitcher, and his awk- 
wardness was held against him, but he could 
hit the ball ** on the nose." That fact kept him 
in the game and he has since become famous 
both in the outfield and on the infield because 
he kept right on hitting. It was soon discov- 
ered that the awkwardness, which still is a 
feature of his playing, did not interfere in the 
least with its brilliance. But without that in- 
stinct which enabled him to bat, the baseball 
world probably never would have known Hans 
Wagner. It was not long before he made his 
way into the National League with the Louis- 
ville team and remained there from 1897 until 
that team was consolidated with Pittsburgh in 
1900. 

Napoleon Lajoie was one of the few young- 
sters whose first ambition was to become a 
batsman. He started in professional baseball 
as a first baseman and never hoped to star as 
a pitcher. He was playing first base with a 
New England league team when the Philadel- 
phia National league club found him in 1896. 
Lajoie always has been a great fielder and 
wonderfully graceful in his work, but it is his 
batting record that has made a hero of him, 
not his fine fielding. 



274 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

Beginning their major league careers only a 
year apart, these two men have made great 
records and earned permanent names for them- 
selves. Wagner's batting average has not yet 
fallen below three hundred, according to the 
official record. Lajoie has failed to bat over 
three hundred in only two years. In both of 
them he was manager of the Cleveland team, 
and the fact that he came back to his old form 
on surrendering the leadership proves that the 
worries of management caused his drop in bat- 
ting. 

Edward Walsh, the great pitcher of Chi- 
cago's White Sox, owed his success to the spit- 
ball which he acquired after joining that team. 
When Owner Comiskey obtained Walsh from 
the Newark club of the Eastern league he pos- 
sessed terrific speed and had made his reputa- 
tion with that. He was taken to Marlin, Tex., 
in the spring of 1904, and at first, when he 
warmed up, it was necessary to reinforce the 
backstop. The first game in which he pitched 
was for the substitutes against the regular 
team and for five or six innings the veteran 
Sox could not hit him at all. About the seventh 
inning they began to gauge that speed accu- 
rately and in a few minutes the fences behind 
the outfield needed reinforcement. Those vet- 
erans hit so hard it seemed as if they never 
would stop. The same thing happened nearly 
every time Walsh pitched. 



THE IMPORTANCE OF BATTING 275 

Manager Callahan and the other pitchers 
tried to teach Walsh to throw a slow ball with 
the same motions as he used in pitching a fast 
one, but he did not progress well. That was the 
year in which Elmer Stricklett came to the 
White Sox from California and brought along 
with him the spitball. Walsh watched Strick- 
lett and, after being shown how to throw the 
ball, said he believed he could do it. The man- 
ager set him at work learning it, feeling cer- 
tain that, with his great speed, Walsh would be 
almost unbeatable if he acquired the spitball. 
Fielder Jones, who succeeded Callahan as man- 
ager early in that season, was of the same opin- 
ion and, although it required two years for 
Walsh to master that delivery, Jones had faith 
in him and advised Owner Comiskey to keep 
him. At the end of those two years came the 
season of 1906 and within a month Walsh was 
famous. When the season ended he had been 
the big factor in winning an American league 
pennant and a world's championship. But he 
had to be made over as a pitcher and, without 
the insight and patience of his employers and 
his own great perseverance, few ever would 
have heard of Ed Walsh. 

Would-be pitchers who have shown in other 
departments of the game can be named by the 
dozen, if necessary. ** Bobby " Wallace of the 
St. Louis Browns aspired to pitch and for a 
time was successful, but he has been kept in the 



276 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

game by Ms batting combined with his ability 
as an infielder. If he had brought only his 
pitching arm into the major leagues he would 
not have been promoted to the position of 
leader which was given him later. Frank 
Isbell, a former world's champion, tried to 
pitch for Chicago in the National League under 
^^ Cap '' Anson. Twice Isbell was saved from 
oblivion by his batting. When Anson found he 
was not a big league pitcher he tried to make 
an infielder out of the Minnesotan. In the first 
game Isbell played at short this situation came 
up: There was a runner on third, no one out 
and the score tied. The ball was hit sharply to 
Isbell, who threw it with all his might to the 
grandstand half way between first base and 
home. When the inning ended Anson de- 
manded to know why in the name of everything 
Isbell had not thrown the ball home instead of 
playing for the man going to first. 

^^ I tried to and never took my eyes off the 
catcher in throwing the ball,'' replied Isbell. 

*' If I had known you were cross-eyed you 
never would have had the chance to toss off this 
game," growled Anson, and sent Isbell back to 
the minors. He went to St. Paul, where Com- 
iskey kept him playing until he learned how to 
throw more nearly where he aimed. But with- 
out his ability to hit the ball, Isbell would not 
to-day be owner of a good baseball team of his 
own. 



THE IMPORTANCE OF BATTING 277 

Charles A. Comiskey himself, one of the most 
prominent figures in baseball to-day, would 
not have attained the success which has 
crowned his career if he had stuck to pitching. 
In his case it was brains rather than batting 
that kept him in the game, but if he had been 
able to bat no better than the average pitcher 
his brains would have had to find some other 
employment. He turned his attention to first 
base and it is a question whether he made the 
greater reputation as a first baseman or as a 
manager of the only team that has succeeded 
in winning four consecutive championships. 

The career of the great pitcher looks the 
more tempting, but that of the mighty batsman 
is the more substantial and permanent in its 
rewards. 



AMATEUR VERSUS PROFESSIONAL 

Perhaps you have seen some standard drama 
produced on the stage by a well balanced com- 
pany of actors and afterward, a month, a year, 
or a decade later, have watched a cast com- 
posed of amateurs perform the same parts, 
mayhap on the very same stage. If so, have 
you ever tried to define or convert into specific 
terms your ideas of the difference between the 
two performances, and the reasons therefor? 
Such an effort would be much like the writer ^s 
experience on the many occasions when he has 
been asked to point out wherein lies the secret 
of the wide diiference between professional and 
amateur baseball games. 

That there is a difference and a vast one 
between the two kinds of theatrical perform- 
ance is admitted. It can be seen and appreci- 
ated by any one at all conversant with dramatic 
work. The same is true in baseball in the case 
of the average patron of the national pastime. 
The difficulty is to reduce it to concrete form, 
and that doubtless is because the difference is 
abstract. 

There is a sureness of touch and certainty of 
effect in the work of the professional actor that 

278 



AMATEUR vs, PROFESSIONAL 279 

is lacking in the efforts of the amateur. The 
former probably has played many similar parts 
and faced similar situations before. He may 
have played the same role many times. The 
amateur is perhaps making his first appearance 
of importance. He is uncertain of himself and 
of the effect he is trying to produce. There is a 
parallel in the spectacle of a veteran outfielder 
chasing back to capture a long, difficult fly com- 
pared to the way a schoolboy or college player 
performs the same feat. The veteran senses 
instinctively from the sound of bat against ball 
the general direction of the fly. Often the 
knowledge whether or not the pitcher was de- 
livering a curve or a straight ball helps him. 
He runs back confidently, sometimes without 
even taking a second look over his shoulder, 
until he wheels and stops within a step or two 
of where the ball comes down. The amateur 
on the same play loses a fraction of a second 
before he gauges the length or direction of the 
fly. He tries to keep his eyes on the ball as he 
runs back. He is plainly a bit at sea; slows 
up, then puts on a new burst of speed and prob- 
ably barely reaches the ball in time to make a 
spectacular catch for which he is duly ap- 
plauded. This is intended only as a type of 
course. There are amateurs whose work is 
more finished than that of many professionals. 
We are dealing with generalities. 

Coming nearer to the grandstand for illus- 



280 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

tration, a play arises with one or more runners 
on bases. The ball is hit to an infielder and 
there is a choice of plays to be made by him if 
there are less than two men out. The profes- 
sional, and by that term is meant the profes- 
sional of class, wastes no valuable time in ma- 
king the choice. It is done as if by instinct. 
The amateur often hesitates and loses an op- 
portunity simply by looking around him after 
getting the ball. The difference lies in the fact 
that the veteran thinks out in advance just 
what he will do if the ball is hit to him in a 
given situation. Before it comes to him he has 
decided that he can make one play if the ball 
is hit fast enough, but must make another play 
if it is hit slowly. The speed of the different 
baserunners, a known quantity to him, enters 
into the problem. The youngster perhaps is 
too nervous to do all this planning in advance, 
so he must think what to do after he has the 
ball, making up his mind by the way things look 
then, instead of before the ball was hit. 

As in the case of the play actor, experience 
and practice explain much of the difference, but 
there is a pronounced gap which is indefinable. 

Perhaps the secret is to be found in the realm 
of psychology. Perhaps that is too dignified a 
way to look at it. But it is certain that the 
mental attitude of the player has much to do 
with it. Eeverting to the stage, the profes- 
sional actor, equipped with a wide experience, 



AMATEUR vs. PROFESSIONAL 281 

is thrown a great deal upon his own resources. 
Often lie has to create a part with nothing but 
the manuscript and the stage directions to 
guide him. The amateur, on the other hand, 
usually imitates either the work of some skilled 
actor whom he has seen in the part, or follows 
blindly the directions of the elocutionist or 
dramatic coach employed to drill the amateur 
players in that particular bit of work. 

So the ball player who reaches the higher 
leagues is expected to do much of his own 
thinking. He is expected to solve new prob- 
lems and meet new emergencies as they arise. 
He is taught to be self-reliant. The school or 
college player, possessing in many cases as 
much natural skill and talent as the profes- 
sional, is more inclined to imitate some great 
player whom he has watched. If not that he 
feels bound to follow the instructions of some 
professional coach paid to teach him and his 
teammates how to play baseball. The profes- 
sional ball player of brains usually knows what 
to do without being told. The amateur has to 
remember what he is told to do. His is the 
more trying and difficult task oftentimes. 

In baseball there are so many variations of 
the same play and one small variation may 
make so great a difference that it is next to 
impossible for a 'varsity captain or coach to 
give instructions that will fit all situations 
alike, or to lay out a plan of attack or defense 



282 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

that can be followed blindly. Individuality of 
players cuts almost as mucli figure as shifting 
situations. What one player can do success- 
fully another may fail dismally to perform 
under exactly the same conditions. What one 
player can accomplish in a given situation in 
one inning may be impossible or inadvisable for 
him to do in the same situation involving dif- 
ferent players or different conditions. 

** Hal '^ Chase, ex-manager of the New York 
American league team, has been the cause of a 
lot of misdirected effort among first basemen. 
This acknowledged star brought a style dis- 
tinctly his own from the Pacific Coast. Because 
of the brilliant reputation he earned he has had 
many imitators both professional and amateur. 
He has been the ideal toward which ambitious 
young first basemen aspired. But there are 
not many men who can play first base the way 
Chase plays it. They may be equally good first 
basemen and just as strong factors in the de- 
fensive tactics of their teams, if they play the 
base according to their own lights. They may 
weaken the defense if they try to follow Chase. 

One play will illustrate the point. With an 
opposing runner on first and nobody out, or 
with runners on first and second and none out, 
if the game is close, the natural play expected 
from the batsman is a sacrifice hit. Chase 
meets this situation by leaving his base before 
the pitcher starts to deliver the ball, and run- 



AMATEUR vs. PROFESSIONAL 283 

ning in to intercept any bunt toward first base. 
By doing that lie cuts down the chances of a 
successful sacrifice because he gains enough of 
a start to enable him to field the bunt to second 
or third, as the case may be, in time to force out 
any except the fleetest runner. That is an ex- 
tremely desirable thing to do and Chase makes 
the play equally well to second or third base. 

I have seen other professional and amateur 
first basemen try that play repeatedly and fail. 
For a time it was a set-piece in the college 
game, to be attempted every time the situation 
arose. The first baseman was expected to do 
what Chase did. No allowance was made for 
physical differences. Chase being a left- 
handed thrower gets a ground ball in position 
to fire it either to second or third base a frac- 
tion of a second quicker than a right-handed 
thrower can make the same play. He can make 
the throw to second base two fractions of a 
second quicker than a right-handed man can. 
That slight interval of time is all the difference 
between success and failure in making the play. 
With a runner on first base only and nobody 
out the first baseman, if he runs in before the 
pitch, gives the baserunner that much more 
start toward second, because the runner can 
always play a little farther away from the bag 
than the baseman and get back safely. If the 
baseman gets twelve feet nearer the plate be- 
fore the batsman bunts, the wary baserunner 



284 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

will be twelve feet nearer second base than he 
would be if the first baseman remained on or 
close to the bag until the ball was hit. Because 
Chase is left-handed and does not have to turn 
to make a throw to second, he can give the aver- 
age runner that additional twelve or fifteen feet 
start and throw him out at second. 

Every first baseman produced on the Pacific 
Coast in recent years has imitated Chase to 
some extent. Two illustrations of failures are 
Arnold Gandil, who was given a tryout by the 
Chicago White Sox, and Joseph Nealon,who was 
with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Comiskey tried 
to preach reason to Gandil and break him of the 
habit of tearing in after bunts and giving the 
baserunner a long lead, but after a few months 
gave it up and released the Calif ornian to Mon- 
treal in the Eastern league. It is only fair 
to add that he ** came back " and filled the 
position satisfactorily for the Washington 
Nationals. 

When a hit is made to the outfield, if there 
are men on bases, there is another marked dif- 
ference between the college and the profes- 
sional way of playing. The collegian seems to 
be possessed of an irresistible temptation to 
throw out every runner who tries to score from 
second base on a single, no matter what the 
circumstances, the size of the score, or the 
chances of his success may be. 

The professional outfielder will seldom waste 



AMATEUR vs. PROFESSIONAL 285 

a throw to the plate to stop a run, either on a 
hit or a sacrifice fly, unless there is an even 
chance to beat the runner home, and sometimes 
not then. If his team has a safe lead and the 
game is past the middle, it is the policy of the 
professional to play safe by ^^ playing for the 
batter. ' ' This is on the principle that a victory 
by one run counts as much as a game won by a 
dozen runs. A throw to the plate after a base 
hit almost always means that the man who 
made the hit will advance another base on the 
throw. It is not good policy unless the condi- 
tions demand it. The run which is going to the 
plate will do the opposing side no good unless 
the score is close. If the runner is not cut off 
at the plate the throw has been wasted and the 
man who hit the ball is within scoring distance 
of the plate if another hit follows. If he had 
been held on first by throwing to second instead 
of home, it would take two more hits to score 
him. 

When one run will tie the game, however, the 
outfielder is bound to take a greater risk to 
prevent it than when that run does not matter 
much. When it is a case of stopping a winning 
run, if possible, the fielder will take even longer 
chances. If a team is behind it is necessary for 
an outfielder to cut off any run that he can, or 
to stop the leading runner at any base he can, 
no matter if it does give the succeeding runners 
an extra base. But he must use judgment and 



286 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

discretion. He generally knows the speed of 
each one of his opponents on bases. He knows 
pretty accurately how far or fast his own arm 
can make a ball travel. 

The amateur outfielder seldom has all this 
knowledge at his command. He does not know 
to a certainty what he can do himself and what 
he can't do, because he has not acquired the 
ability to throw consistently. Sometimes he 
can put more speed and carrying power into a 
ball with the snap of his arm, than at other 
times. Consequently he is more prone to make 
futile efforts to catch impossible runners, 
thereby wasting his own energy, besides letting 
more runs get within striking distance of the 
place of registration. 

When all is said, however, the amateur or 
college ball player has far greater attraction 
for the general public than the amateur play 
actor can have. Many people would rather see 
an amateur ball game than one between profes- 
sionals. Those who prefer an amateur stage 
performance to the real thing are few. College 
ball players give a zest and earnestness to their 
games and their individual efforts that is lack- 
ing as a rule in the work of professionals. The 
veteran leaguer may be just as earnest and 
take just as much interest in his work as the 
collegian but without giving that impression to 
the average spectator. The very ease and fin- 
ish with which he accomplishes the tasks which 



AMATEUR vs, PROFESSIONAL 287 

fall to his lot sometimes detract from their 
spectacular value. He makes chances which 
really are difficult appear easy oftentimes. 

Frank Schulte, the Cub outfielder, is a per- 
sonification of this idea. When he began play- 
ing in Chicago many spectators gained the im- 
pression that he was indifferent and not try- 
ing his hardest all the time. The reason was 
that he attained his greatest speed in motion 
without apparent effort, therefore did not seem 
to be running hard when he was at top speed, 
and Schulte is very fast. Being of modest, re- 
tiring disposition Schulte always avoided over- 
doing anything. He never was guilty of making 
a chance look difficult for the mere sake of win- 
ning applause, as some fielders I could name 
have a habit of doing. It was more than two 
years before Schulte entirely lived down the 
reputation of being a phlegmatic, indifferent 
player. But the public finally learned that this 
product of New York state loved to win better 
than to eat and always was working his hard- 
est in a game. To-day there is no player on 
the team better liked than Schulte. 

There is no department of baseball in which 
the difference between the amateur and pro- 
fessional is more marked than that included in 
the vague world of superstition. Mighty few 
professional players will admit they are the 
least bit superstitious about anything. The 
exceptions prove the rule. The school boy or 



288 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

collegian usually is free from this eccentricity, 
although often he will affect superstition as a 
pose. Perhaps it is because baseball with him 
is not a means of livelihood and the glory and 
honor he wins belongs largely to his alma mater 
instead of being of appreciable cash value to 
himself, as is the case with the professional. 

There are only a few league players who will 
ride in ^^ lower 13 '' in a sleeping-car without 
protest and a sleepless night. Lee Tannehill, 
formerly of the White Sox, claimed that he had 
been injured in the next game he played after 
every trip he ever made in a berth numbered 
13. On the other hand Manager Chance of the 
Highlanders always demands ** lower 13 " on 
a trip, and if assigned to a sleeper in which 
there were only twelve sections he has been 
known to purchase the stateroom and paste the 
number ^* 13 '* on its door. 

Club owners laugh at superstition among 
their players and deny that they possess any 
such * * ridiculous ^ ' ideas themselves. But look 
back through the pages of baseball history and 
see how many championship schedules ever 
started on the 13th of the month. That date 
always is avoided for an inaugural although it 
sometimes has entailed considerable inconve- 
nience to do so. 

Fielder Jones, former manager of the White 
Sox, held it to be almost criminal folly for a 
team to pack up its bats before the last man 



AMATEUR vs, PROFESSIONAL 289 

was put out in a game. One time in his career, 
when his team had a long lead, that was done 
in the ninth inning and brought unexpected de- 
feat. He never forgot it. One day on the old 
White Sox park the White Sox were half a 
dozen runs ahead and two opponents had been 
retired in the last half -inning to be played. The 
bat boys started packing the White Sox sticks 
in the bag, so as to get home to dinner earlier. 
Jones saw them and yelled from center-field to 
stop them but nobody heard. Then he delib- 
erately stopped the game until he could run in 
to the bench and order every bat taken out of 
the bag and replaced on the ground in its 
proper position. 

President Comiskey of the White Sox once 
came near discharging a ground-keeper of 
whom he was very fond. One afternoon it was 
threatening to rain before the game could be 
finished. The teams were hurrying through the 
ninth, as the White Sox had the victory cinched. 
Before the side was retired it was noticed that 
the big American flag was being lowered from 
the tall mast back of the center-field bleachers. 
The Sox did not lose that game, but Comiskey 
sent for his ground-keeper peremptorily. Then 
it developed that an assistant had been sent to 
take in the flag when the game ended but had 
been cautioned not to lower it before it was 
over. Comiskey fired the assistant. 

The old Boston National league team under 



290 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

the late Frank Selee was very superstitious 
about the location of the broom with which the 
plate was swept when said broom was not in 
use. Visiting players found that out and used 
to move the broom to the other side of the plate 
to tease the Bostonians. One of Selee 's men 
always would run out from the bench and re- 
place the broom in its original position. Now 
National league umpires carry small whisk 
brooms in their pockets for the purpose of 
cleaning off the plate and the old broom fetish 
did not spread. 

** Joe '' Tinker always remembers how he 
walks to the plate the first time up in a game; 
that is, whether he steps in front of the umpire 
and catcher or goes around behind them. If he 
makes a safe hit that time he will be careful to 
walk to the plate in exactly the same way next 
time even if he has to wait until the umpire and 
catcher are in position to let him repeat his 
previous act. 

Sheckard once borrowed a stick of gum from 
Overall while on the bench during a game, when 
both were with the Cubs. He made three hits. 
Every day thereafter Sheckard would borrow 
gum from Overall and refuse to accept it from 
any one else, hoping to get at least one hit each 
day. He did, too, until Overall finally asked 
the left-fielder if he was afraid of clerks who 
sold chewing gum. Sheckard had to explain 
and that put the ** jinx '^ on the gum. 



AMATEUR vs. PROFESSIONAL 291 

When the White Sox celebrated the winning 
of the 1906 world's championship in the spring 
of 1907, the halyard clogged in a pulley as they 
were hoisting their world's pennant and broke 
the flagstaff off in the middle. With one ac- 
cord the players whispered to each other 
*' Seven years of hard Inck.'' The White Sox 
never have won a pennant since, but the period 
of seven years has now expired. 

In a game where luck is such an ever-present 
factor, is it any wonder that superstition grows 
on the players year by year? 



THE INSIDE GAME AS PLAYED BY 
CATCHER AND PITCHER 

Nowhere in tlie realm of baseball do brains 
count more than in tbe so-called battery posi- 
tions. Nowhere in the game do science and 
experience possess greater advantage over 
mere mechanical skill and physical prowess 
than on the pitcher's slab and behind the 
catcher's mask. Nowhere else has inside base- 
ball been brought to a higher state of perfec- 
tion, partly because a more perfect understand- 
ing can be established between two persons 
than when anywhere from three to nine play- 
ers are involved in the more complex forms of 
team work. 

Every ball thrown or delivered by the pitcher 
to any part of the infield is a form of inside 
baseball. 

The great majority of baseball followers rate 
the pitcher as the most important part of a 
baseball machine. They believe the only thing 
necessary to win a pennant is for a club owner 
to secure a string of pitchers whom the players 
on the other teams cannot hit. They forget the 
need of getting players who can hit the other 
pitchers. They overlook the fact that much of 

292 



THE INSIDE GAME 293 

a pitcher's success in winning games depends 
on the support given him in the field and the 
number of runs made by his own team. They 
ignore the fact that a great pitcher may be a 
loser because of inferior partners behind the 
bat, while a mediocre pitcher may become 
world-famous with the help of a brainy catcher 
and fast support. 

President Dreyfuss of the Pittsburghs main- 
tains that the manager who has a great catcher, 
a shortstop who can go to his right or his left 
equally well after ground balls, and a center- 
fielder who can do likewise after flies, can build 
a championship team around those three men 
much more easily than if he has great players 
in all other positions but is weak in those three. 

There always has been a tendency to over- 
look the catcher, possibly because so much of 
him is covered up during the game, but more 
because the greatest part of his work is inside 
baseball and of the kind which the general pub- 
lic can neither see nor appreciate. If any one 
doubts the importance of the catcher to a base- 
ball machine, let him recall the clubs which 
have won world's pennants under modern con- 
ditions. Going back to 1903 the Boston Amer- 
ican's, with Criger behind the bat, beat Pitts- 
burgh, which had no Criger. In the next year 
there was no world's series, but in 1905 the 
New York Giants beat the Philadelphia Ath- 
letics decisively, not so much because of Christy 



294 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

Mathewson as because they had a Eoger Bres- 
nahan and the Athletics did not. 

In 1906 the White Sox defeated the Cubs in 
the famous Chicago world's series because they 
had in ^ ^ Billy ' ' Sullivan a greater catcher than 
even the great John Kling, who himself was 
responsible for much of the ease with which the 
Cubs triumphed over the almost catcherless 
Detroit Tigers in 1907 and 1908. And Pitts- 
burgh's victory in the closest of world's series 
was accomplished, so every expert believes, 
because Gibson turned the scale in favor of 
the Pirates. 

In six world's series, therefore, the premier 
honors have gone to the teams which had in 
their ranks Criger, Bresnahan, Sullivan, Kling, 
and Gibson. Of these five the greatest gener- 
ally are conceded to have been Sullivan, Kling 
and Gibson, in the order of their development. 

However strong a team may be, its ultimate 
success, when put to the supreme test, will de- 
pend upon its catchers. This is the opinion of 
the managers who have achieved the most suc- 
cess and is the reason why veteran catchers are 
retained so long. The supply is so far below 
the demand and young catchers have so much 
to learn that the man of brains and experience 
whose arm is weakening will hold his place 
against a younger catcher who can throw the 
ball twice as hard and far. 

When the White Sox were winning the fifth 



THE INSIDE GAME 295 

game of their series with the Cubs, putting 
them within one game of the world ^s pennant, 
John KHng asked Manager Jones of the Sox, 
as the latter came to bat near the end of the 
game, why the Sox were beating the Cubs, who 
were acknowledged to be made up of better 
individual players. To this Jones replied very 
promptly : 

^' I'll tell you why. WeVe got the best 
catcher that ever stood in shoe-leather." 

That may not have been a very polite thing 
to say right to Kling's face, but it was the 
answer Jones always made to the same ques- 
tion and the incident illustrates one of the ways 
in which the catcher plays inside baseball. 

The secret of successful pitching does not lie 
in the possession of great speed or baffling 
curves, or both, so much as in outguessing the 
batsman. If the batsman knew what a Brown 
or a Mathewson was going to deliver every 
time, neither would win many games. What 
makes a pitcher most effective is his ability to 
make a batter think a curve is going to be a 
straight ball, that a straight ball is going to 
curve, that a slow pitched ball is a fast one, that 
a ball is coming over the plate when it is not, 
or that it will not come over the plate when it 
does. And since the catcher must signal for 
each ball pitched he always helps the pitcher 
decide what to pitch and often makes the choice 
himself. Even the best of pitchers depend a 



296 . THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

great deal on the judgment of an experienced 
catcher. 

One of the many ways in which the catcher 
helps the pitcher outguess the batsman is by 
talking to the man at the plate, the object being 
to take his mind off the game, to give him less 
time to think what is likely to be pitched to him, 
and to divert his attention as much as possible 
from studying the pitcher's actions. It re- 
quires a veteran to do this, for the catcher him- 
self must be doing a lot of hard thinking at the 
same time, and his conversation has to be 
largely a matter of habit. It is necessary to 
use some shrewdness to draw an experienced 
batsman into an argument for he knows its pur- 
pose too well. Few backstops could tempt 
Jones, for instance, into paying any attention 
to a remark, as Kling did in the incident men- 
tioned. New players and nervous ones are 
more readily engaged in this by-play. One 
catcher always starts it by asking a new man 
where he played last season, what luck he had, 
etc. Even religion has been resorted to some- 
times as a subject to trap the unwary. The 
spectator seldom is aware of this running fire 
of talk between the batsman and the men who 
are trying to fool him, but would be highly en- 
tertained at times if he could hear it. Most of 
these verbal exchanges are friendly and in the 
nature of ** jollies '' although sometimes they 
are bitter and objectionable. 



THE INSIDE GAME 297 

When Clark Griffith was managing the New 
York Americans he went in one day to pitch 
out a game in which Detroit was batting the 
previous pitcher and threatening to wipe out 
a small lead which New York had gained. It 
was after Griffith's pitching days were over 
and when he had little except his brains left to 
work with. In the last inning the Tigers cut 
the lead down to one run and had men on sec- 
ond and third with two out. Another hit meant 
a probable Detroit victory and Schaefer was at 
bat. Griffith worked him into fouling off two 
strikes without pitching him a good ball, but in 
so doing had three balls calle^. What to pitch 
next bothered the veteran. He had about de- 
cided to give Schaefer his base on balls and 
try for the next man, but while he was studying 
on it, he called out to Schaefer: ** 111 bet you 
five dollars I strike you out." 

^^ Germany " jumped to the plate and said 
to the umpire, *^ Stop this game while I make 
a book! '' Then he yelled to Griffith, '' What 
was that crack you made ? ' ' 

Griffith repeated his offer and Schaefer 
called back: ** I'll take that and bet you an- 
other five dollars I make a base hit. ' ' To which 
the pitcher replied, *^ You're on." 

Then Griffith pitched a perfectly straight ball 
over the plate at moderate speed. If Schaefer 
had known that in time, he could have hit it 
safely almost to a certainty, but quite naturally 



298 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

lie thought that would be the last thing in the 
world with which any pitcher would try to 
strike out a man. Eemembering the bets, 
Schaefer supposed Griffith was attempting to 
fool him into swinging at a curve which was 
aimed to break outside of the plate and out of 
his reach. 

'* Nay, nay,'' thought Schaefer, and not un- 
til the ball was right on top of him did he real- 
ize that Griffith, anticipating the German's 
thoughts, had pitched the ball straight over the 
plate. Then he swung wildly at it, but too late, 
striking out and losing both bets simply by 
being outguessed.. 

The size, length, and weight of the bat used 
by a player mean much to both pitcher and 
catcher. It is comparatively easy of course to 
judge the diameter and length, but the weight 
differs greatly in bats of the same size. The 
catcher resorts to many tricks to find out if a 
batsman is using a heavy or light stick. Some- 
times you have seen him ask the man at bat to 
lend him the bat while he knocked the dirt out 
of the spikes in his shoes. Oftener still you 
have seen the catcher pick up the bat thrown 
down by a man who had made a foul and 
started for first base, holding it out to the bats- 
man as he returned to the plate. Probably you 
thought that a pretty bit of courtesy on the 
catcher's part. Sometimes it was, but more 
often the catcher was testing the weight of that 



THE INSIDE GAME 299 

bat and transmitting his deductions to the 
pitcher. 

What is the use of this information? The 
batsman who uses a long or heavy bat gener- 
ally must take a good swing at the ball and 
cannot chop at it as quickly as can a man with 
a short or light bat. The man with a long or 
heavy stick will punish balls pitched over the 
side of the plate farthest from him but will not 
as a rule hit hard if the ball is pitched inside 
or on his side of the plate. The man who uses 
a short bat and pulls away from the plate a 
little is helpless usually if the ball is kept over 
the farther side of the plate, but is liable to 
smash the ball if pitched inside the plate. This 
knowledge of what kind of bat the batsman uses 
is of particular advantage to both pitcher and 
catcher when they know a batter is going to try 
to hit and run with a man on first base. By 
pitching the ball on the inside or outside of the 
plate it can be made difficult for the batsman 
to hit the ball toward the infielder who, the 
catcher knows, is going to cover second base, 
and the chances can be greatly increased that 
he will hit toward the fielder who is going to 
remain in his position. 

In most cases it is of greater importance 
where the ball comes over the plate than what 
there is * * on it, ' ' as can be seen from the above. 
That makes a pitcher's control more valuable 
to him than almost anything else at his com- 



300 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

mand, and by control is meant the ability to 
pitch high or low, wide or close in at will, more 
than to be able to pitch the ball somewhere over 
the plate when desired. When it is the bats- 
man's palpable intention to bunt for a sacrifice 
hit with a runner on first, the pitcher's best 
method is to keep the ball high as that is the 
most difficult kind to bunt well. The pitcher 
can help himself a lot in the matter of fielding 
bunts in such cases. A right-handed batsman 
naturally will bunt a ball pitched close to him 
toward third base and a ball which is kept away 
from him toward first base. By starting the 
right way as soon as the ball leaves his hand 
the pitcher can cover much more ground on 
bunts than if he waits to see where the ball is 
going, and if his control is good it will be im- 
possible for any except the most expert and 
tricky hunters to ** cross '' him by bunting to 
the other side of the diamond. 

Often the battery tries to catch the runner 
off first base when a sacrifice is the expected 
play. It is done by pitching the ball just far 
enough away so that the batter cannot hit it but 
near enough so that he will try to. As he 
makes the attempt, the runner instinctively 
starts away from first but the baseman, who 
has seen the signal, stays there. Then a snap 
throw from the catcher finds the baseman ready 
for it but the runner often is unable to get back 
ahead of the ball. This play can be worked 



THE INSIDE GAME 301 

best when there are runners on first and second 
bases and the man on first is not expecting any 
play on him. 

Every batsman is being studied and watched 
closely by both pitcher and catcher at all times, 
but never more closely than when there are 
runners on bases. Then the man at bat and the 
runner or runners are working together as a 
rule. In the major leagues the signals may be 
given by the batsman, by the runner, or by the 
coacher. The most frequent way is for the 
batsman to select the time to make a hit and 
run play, for instance, and his every motion 
will be noted by his opponents. What partic- 
ular movement of hand, body, or foot is a signal 
to a runner is difficult to detect, but a brainy 
catcher will discover many signals in a season. 

It is comparatively easy to find out who is 
giving the signals. If it is the batsman, the 
runner will watch him more closely than other- 
wise would be natural. Sometimes the bats- 
man will give the play away by looking in the 
direction of the runner, as he gives a signal, 
to see if the latter is watching for it. If the 
runner gives the signals, the batter will glance 
in his direction pretty often between pitched 
balls. That is the time when most of the signs 
are worked. If the coacher gives the signals, 
both the batsman and runner will have to watch 
him. To avoid this, most coachers, if they give 
the signs, do so by spoken word, which of 



302 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

course is not possible for either batsraan or 
baserunner to do. There was one team which 
used the word ^^ it '* for the hit and run play. 
* * Hit it a mile ; make him put it over ' ' or any 
other familiar sentence, in which *^ it '' was 
used, constituted the signal. Another team 
used the word ^^ little " for almost an entire 
season without being discovered. Still another 
team used the inconspicuous word '' and '* for 
one signal. Only common words in frequent 
use can be employed, for an unusual word 
would be spotted in a few plays by a shrewd 
battery with disastrous results. 

These are only a few of the tricks of the 
trade but they are enough to show that the art 
of pitching is not all in curves and speed ; that 
the greatness of a catcher is not measured by 
his ability to stop wild pitches and throw hard 
and fast to the bases. 



HOW INSIDE BASEBALL HAS DE- 
CREASED THE BATTING, BY PEE- 
FECTING DEFENSIVE FIELDING 

Nothing makes a really good baseball player 
more angry than to be called a stationary 
infielder, or outfielder. If yon are a friend of 
his yon may call him names that sonnd worse, 
bnt if yon valne his friendship do not intimate, 
even jokingly, that he is anchored to any par- 
ticular spot while his team is on the defensive. 
That is one failing a man may not have and 
become famous in baseball. 

The science of the defense in the modern 
game is founded on a constant shifting of the 
barriers against base hits in perfect, machine- 
like harmony with one another and with the 
pitcher. The outfielder who insists on wear- 
ing the grass off one certain spot and the in- 
fielder who plays for all batsmen alike are cogs 
sure to tangle up the whole works. The major 
league scout on the hunt for promising talent 
labels such a youngster as nearly hopeless. 

The steady decrease in batting in the last 
twenty years generally has been charged to a 
growing supremacy of the pitcher. All efforts 
to increase the batting have aimed to handicap 

303 



304 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

the pitchers, which shows how little the club 
owners, to whom is intrusted the making of the 
rules that govern baseball, know about the in- 
side game. Greater pitching skill has had 
something to do with it, but the decrease in 
batting is due more to the development of scien- 
tific defense than to better pitchers or poorer 
eyesight in the new generation of batsmen. If 
Anson, or Brouthers, or Ed. Delehanty had 
been compelled to pit their unquestionably 
magnificent prowess with the stick against the 
system which present day batsmen face in the 
major leagues, their batting averages would 
have shrunk some, through no fault of theirs, 
no decrease in their own strength, no astigma- 
tism in their world-famous batting eyes. 

Years of close watching and constant study 
disclosed the fact that certain batters usually 
hit certain kinds of balls in certain directions. 
Shining exceptions to the rule only proved its 
existence. Anson, Brouthers, and Delehanty 
probably would have continued to be great 
batsmen even if some Ponce de Leon foun- 
tain had been discovered to enable them to 
remain young and play ball forever. Just 
like Lajoie, Cobb, and Wagner, they were 
able not only to hit almost any kind of 
pitched ball but to hit it somewhere nearly 
where they wanted to. The average player's 
ability is much more limited. There are only 
a few right-handed batsmen, for instance, who 



INSIDE BASEBALL 305 

can hit a fast-pitched ball down the third-base 
line and there are equally few left-handed bats- 
men who can hit speed to right field. The tend- 
ency of the former is to hit a slow or curve ball 
into left field and of the latter to ^^ pull '' the 
slow ball into right field. In addition the gen- 
eral direction in which the average batter will 
hit can be governed by pitching the ball away 
from or close to him. 

Out of this knowledge, of which only the out- 
line has been indicated here, has been built up 
the inside system of defense which has robbed 
many batsmen of many base hits. Probably no 
team has yet brought this style of defense to a 
higher degree of perfection than Chicago's 
Cubs under Chance, although every successful 
team has used more or less of it in one way or 
another. Consequently no better illustration 
of how scientific defense is worked out can be 
given than the one with which I am naturally 
most familiar. To be sure the Cubs' system 
already has been described in great detail by 
more famous writers and in more ambitious 
form, but it has been represented to be much 
more mystifying than it really was. Of the out- 
line given here the reader may feel perfectly 
sure, for it was obtained first hand. 

The groundwork is simply this: When the 
Cubs were in the field Tinker at short watched 
for the catcher's signal to the pitcher then re- 
peated that signal in such a way that the out- 



306 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

fielders and other infielders could understand it 
but the opposing batsman could not. In that 
way every defending player knew what was go- 
ing to be pitched every time and could ^^ lay 
for " the batsman with greater certainty be- 
cause of that knowledge. Of course, there are 
different forms of defense for different situa- 
tions and the system of signals has been added 
to by years of experience, but its foundation is 
as simple as indicated. 

Here are some of the results: If the bases 
are empty and an average right-handed bats- 
man up, the infield and outfield will be looking 
for him to hit to the right of center if a fast 
ball or one on the outside of the plate is pitched 
to him. They will expect him to hit to the left 
of center if a curve or a ball inside the plate 
is delivered. If an average left-handed batter 
is up, the probabilities are exactly reversed. 
Consequently the entire team, being aware 
through Tinker's signal what the pitcher was 
going to deliver, could be on its toes to start in 
the direction in which the ball would be hit three 
out of ^ve times. There are many batters who 
almost invariably will hit either to the right 
or left of center field no matter what is pitched. 
For such batsmen you will notice both infield 
and outfield play far out of their natural posi- 
tions. But even these peculiar batters will hit 
a fast ball to a different spot than they will hit 
a slow one. It can be seen already how much 



INSIDE BASEBALL 307 

this wireless communication between the 
pitcher and the men behind him will help to 
guard fair ground against base hits. 

When there is a runner on base the system 
becomes of still greater value and a little more 
complex. With a runner on first and nobody 
out in a close game, the natural expectation is 
a sacrifice hit and for this the commonest de- 
fense is for the second-baseman to edge over 
so as to be ready to cover first if necessary, 
while the shortstop covers second, leaving the 
first and third-basemen free to help the pitcher 
field any bunt as fast as possible with the ob- 
ject of forcing the runner out at second if it 
can be done. But an up-to-date batsman is 
likely to break up this system by switching to 
a hit-and-run play and the infielders must be 
on their guard against this. The hit-and-run 
is frequently tried with no one out, always with 
one man out, unless the pitcher gets the bats- 
man ^' in the hole '' before it can be tried, and 
usually with two out. 

See how the Cub system of defense works out 
here. Suppose a right-handed batter was up 
and the catcher 's signal called for a fast ball or 
one on the outside of the plate. When Evers 
saw Tinker repeat it he understood that Tinker 
would cover second if the runner on first started 
to advance and that he (Evers) could remain in 
his position. Then if the batter hit the ball it 
was likely to come to the right of second base 



308 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

because only a very versatile batter would be 
able to pull a hit through the spot left vacant 
by Tinker. If nothing happened on that pitch, 
the catcher might call for a curve or slow ball. 
Tinker flashed that to the others, including 
Evers, who knew that he must cover second 
this time and allow Tinker to remain in posi- 
tion because the ball was likely to be hit toward 
left field. If the batsman hit left-handed all 
this had to be reversed. On a fast ball or one 
on the outside, Evers would cover second and 
on a curve or a ball pitched close in, Tinker 
would be ready to take the throw. 

Knowing who will cover the base is of great 
aid to the catcher in making his throw to sec- 
ond and the constant shifting of plans makes 
it difficult for the batsman to guess which 
fielder will leave his position on a hit-and-run 
play. He can foretell which hole will be left 
open on the infield only by guessing what the 
pitcher is going to deliver and that is a hard 
task. But think of the strain this system puts 
on the player. He must be eagle-eyed, for he 
never knows when a signal is to be flashed to 
him and to miss it may defeat his team. No 
manager will accept any excuse for missing a 
signal. Then the same sign has two entirely 
different meanings according to the style of 
the batsman, and if this fact is forgotten for 
a moment it may prove fatal in a crucial 
situation. 



INSIDE BASEBALL 309 

Perhaps it can be better understood from the 
foregoing what it means to a team using inside 
baseball to have one of its regulars laid up by 
accident. The substitute may be almost as 
good a player in every way, but he will weaken 
a team very much if he is not thoroughly famil- 
iar with every signal and every move which 
each signal calls for. Often the presence of a 
new man upsets a team through mere lack of 
confidence in his having interpreted a signal 
aright in a critical spot. That is one reason 
why the wise manager never ^ ^ breaks up a win- 
ning combination '^ if he can help it. Many a 
regular has sat on the bench after having re- 
covered from an injury because his team was 
winning without him and a substitute of lesser 
ability has kept his place for fear of destroy- 
ing the perfection with which the machine was 
working. 

No attempt can be made even to outline all 
the varied workings of this system of defense, 
but enough has been told, perhaps, to convey 
an idea of its value. Whatever the system 
used, if successful it is based on the first prin- 
ciple of constant shifting in accord with the 
pitcher and batsman. Some teams carry the 
system into greater detail than others and 
there are many different ways of transmitting 
the signals. Sometimes they are given by the 
catcher, or by the pitcher himself, in such a 
way that the whole team can get them first 



310 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

hand. This is a more hazardous way, however, 
and cannot be used long at a time without great 
danger of detection by the opponents. 

Turning to the individual, there are many 
tricks as old as the game itself, which have been 
discarded as the development of inside base- 
ball called for more and more team-play, 
thereby subordinating the individual. You will 
occasionally see an attempt by an infielder to 
hide the ball under his arm until a baserunner, 
thinking the pitcher has the ball, strays off his 
base to meet sudden disgrace. But it is seldom 
tried except in moments of great excitement, 
when the opponents are likely to lose their 
heads and relax their vigilance. 

One old method of deceiving baserunners still 
is common and probably always will be. When 
a runner starts from first and the batter hits 
a fly ball you will often see second-baseman or 
shortstop run after an imaginary grounder and 
make a pretense of fielding it to some base. 
The purpose is to make the runner believe the 
ball was hit on the ground and to fool him into 
running so far from his base that he can be 
doubled up after the fly is caught. Clever base- 
runners are fooled in this way, for they are so 
intent on getting their own start that they can- 
not guess where the ball goes except by the 
crack of the bat. I once saw Lajoie go through 
this pantomime of fielding a grounder so natu- 
rally that, when he tossed a handful of dirt 



INSIDE BASEBALL 311 

along with an imaginary ball to the shortstop 
at second base, the runner going down from 
first kept right on toward the bench under the 
impression he was forced out. He was out all 
right, but not at second, for the batter hit a fly 
to right and Lajoie's trick gave the right-fielder 
plenty of time to double the runner off first 
base. Zeider, once second-baseman of the 
White Sox, actually worked this trick on a base- 
runner, when the batsman hit a pop fly to short 
right-field, then went back and caught the fly 
himself. It requires a strong-lunged coacher 
to prevent these tricks, for the crowd usually 
yells whenever the ball is hit, drowning all 
shouts of warning. 

Another old-time trick still is used with suc- 
cess when the ball is thrown to intercept a 
runner advancing on a hit. In the case of a 
man going from first to third on a single you 
may have seen the third-baseman standing 
carelessly near his base as if watching a play 
being made elsewhere and giving not the slight- 
est indication that the ball was coming to him. 
Often the runner is fooled into slowing up or 
coming to third base standing up instead of 
sliding. Suddenly the baseman will come to 
life, grab the throw and touch the unsuspect- 
ing runner out. 

With a runner trying to score from second 
on a hit I have seen a catcher pick up the bat 
to toss it back toward the bench or slip off his 



312 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

mitt as if the play was over so far as lie was 
concerned, and all the time the ball would be 
coming in as fast as an outfielder could throw 
it. In plenty of time the trickster would be 
ready to take the throw, and the runner, who 
allowed himself to be deceived into taking his 
time, would find himself very unexpectedly 
nailed at the plate. 

The first time I ever saw the ** sacrifice- 
killer " worked by an infield was against the 
White Sox in Detroit. That is the name ap- 
plied to the trick of forcing a runner at third 
on a bunt when there are runners on first and 
second with nobody out. Hahn was on second 
and Manager Jones on first. Just as the ball 
was pitched, O'Leary, then shortstop, started 
to cover second. Isbell laid down a nice bunt 
which ought to have advanced both men easily. 
But, deceived by O'Leary's move, Hahn was 
breaking his neck to get back to second, and 
before he could recover he was forced out at 
third. On the very next day the Sox broke up 
that trick. The same situation came up with a 
Sox pitcher on second, Hahn on first and Jones 
at bat. It is not easy to advance the average 
pitcher on a bunt, anyway. O'Leary made it 
doubly difficult by running this pitcher back 
toward second just before the ball was deliv- 
ered. But Jones did not bunt. He hit a 
bounder over the spot O'Leary had left vacant 
and this shift so surprised even the outfield 



INSIDE BASEBALL 313 

that the pitcher, who was on second, not only 
reached third but kept on to the plate. 

There is no trick that will work always and 
few that can be worked successfully against the 
same opponent at short intervals unless that 
opponent is stupid. Some tricks are dangerous 
for the team that tries them, as in the case of 
the ** sacrifice-killer.'' 

The secret of success in baseball is not to 
excel all opponents in skill, but to outwit them 
at every possible point. That is why the bril- 
liant mechanical player never becomes of as 
great value to his team as the lesser light who 
has mastered inside baseball, sometimes jo- 
cosely called ** the apotheosis of the double 
cross." 



SCOEING THE GAME 

Down in ^' little old New York/' as its deni- 
zens love to call it, there is a vender of baseball 
score-cards who probably will be remembered 
by every one that has attended games at either 
major league park there in recent years. So 
far as known his claims to distinction are two 
in number. One of these is a deep, melodious 
bass voice, which would earn recognition in 
any choir or chorus. The other is a spark of 
originality which may be his and may not. I 
never asked. 

Every baseball ^^ fan '' has heard the stereo- 
typed, raucous barking: ^^ Get your cards here 
— you can 't tell a player without a score-card. ' ' 
Half-way up the long incline which leads to the 
New York grandstand you begin to hear a deep 
bass voice chanting with great distinctness : — 
^ ^ Know the game — know the runs — know the 
hits — know the errors." As you near his 
stand at the top of the incline you see in large 
print on his cap: '* Score-cards." That is the 
only explanation of his monologue, which con- 
tinues slowly: '^ Know the inning — know the 
out — know the pitcher — know the batter — 
know the game," and so on. 

314 



SCORING THE GAME 315 

Splendid advice, but how many patrons who 
pause to drop a coin in this vender's palm 
and receive a score-card, without interrupting 
the seemingly automatic monologue, really 
^^ know '' how to get the best value out of that 
score-card? 

Frequently ^^ you can't tell a player '' with 
a score-card, unless you know him, because of 
carelessness in printing or changes in the 
teams. But the electric score-boards are rem- 
edying that defect in great measure, wherever 
they are in use. It is possible with this me- 
chanical assistance for almost any one to 
^' know '' the batter, the pitcher, the inning, 
the out, and the runs made. A great many 
patrons are quite content with that knowledge 
and think they '' know the game '' thoroughly. 
If one does not care to know how to make a 
score-card teach one more baseball than that, 
it will be useless for one to read farther. 

A majority of the spectators ^' score '' a game 
in some fashion, if only by the simplest possi- 
ble system — an ^ * " for an out and a straight 
mark for a run. That enables one to keep fair 
tab on the progress of the game and is not to 
be scoffed at. A smaller class record the hits 
and errors after a fashion. But only occasion- 
ally, outside of the press boxes of the ball 
parks, will you find a spectator who actually 
scores a game in detail. One says it is too much 
bother or takes too much attention away from 



316 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

the game. Another gets rattled and skips a 
play or two, then fails to see a grand catch or 
a splendid hit while trying to straighten out his 
score card. He throws it away in disgust, for 
spectators go to ball games to see them, not to 
record and write about them. 

The great army of baseball devotees over- 
estimate the difficulty and perplexity of scor- 
ing, and underestimate the zest it adds to the 
game. It will surprise any one, who tries it, 
to find how quickly a system can be learned 
which will take little more time than is re- 
quired to mark down just the outs and the runs. 
It is all a matter of habit and of learning a 
simple system of * * baseball shorthand. ' ' Num- 
ber the fielding positions of the players from 
1 to 9, then choose a dozen or so symbols, which 
will be easy to remember, to indicate as many 
different kinds of plays. Practise using these 
until familiar with them and it will astonish 
you to see how quickly you can record each 
play. 

There are almost as many different systems 
of scoring as there are baseball scorers. The 
systems used by experienced scorers usually 
are based on a few common principles but differ 
in variety of detail and in the symbols used. 
All scorers number the fielding positions but 
not all in the same way. Not because it is in 
any way better than dozens of other systems, 
but because I am more familiar with it, I will 



SCORING THE GAME 317 

confine the article to describing one system. In 
passing it may be added that my shorthand 
record of a game, if sent to another city and to 
a person using an entirely different system, 
could be translated into a correct account of 
that game by that person after a few minutes^ 
study. 

Starting with the pitcher's position as No. 1, 
the catcher is No. 2 ; first base, 3 ; second base, 
4; third base, 5; shortstop, 6; left field, 7; 
center, 8 ; and right field, 9. Always it should 
be kept in mind that these numbers mean posi- 
tions, not individual players, because the posi- 
tions are the same in every game, everywhere. 
The players are not. 

Merely to emphasize this point, there is a 
baseball classic which has been told so often 
people are beginning to believe it. When base- 
ball was very new in the new northwest, John 
McCloskey was trying out a lot of green mate- 
rial one spring for one of the many minor 
league teams he installed in his earlier days. 
One day a young man from a neighboring town 
applied for a job. The manager told the 
youngster to go out in right field and see what 
he could do. The youth turned, hesitated and 
came back: *' Say, boss, which is right field? I 
never was here before.'' McCloskey didn't 
keep the young man long enough to ask his 
name. Now when a player wants to indicate 
an absolute lack of '* baseball sense," he says: 



318 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

'^ You make me think of McCloskey's out- 
fielder/' 

With the figures 1 to 9 and the letter E it is 
possible to score every defensive play made in 
a game. That is not complex, is it? Here are a 
few samples: The batsman hits to the short- 
stop and is thrown out at first base. It is just 
as easy to write 6-3 as it is to put down '^ 0.'' 
The next man hits a fly to center field and it 
can be recorded by the figure 8. The next bats- 
man hits to the third-baseman, who fumbles and 
loses the out. Two characters, E5, indicate the 
error and who made it. This lucky batsman 
tries to steal second and is thrown out, catcher 
to second baseman. That is scored 2-4. With 
a runner on first the ball is hit to the second- 
baseman, who starts a double play, by way of 
the shortstop to first base. Put down 4-6 oppo- 
site the name of the man retired at second and 
6-3 opposite the batsman. Then join the two 
plays with a line and you have that double play 
recorded so that any scorer from Maine to Cal- 
ifornia can understand it. 

Suppose a runner on third tries to score on 
a grounder to the second-baseman but the ball 
is thrown home in time to turn back the runner. 
The catcher chases him and tosses the ball to 
the third-baseman. The runner starts home 
again with the third-baseman in pursuit, but 
the ball has to be tossed to the pitcher who now 
covers the plate. Once more the runner turns 



SCORING THE GAME 319 

back, chased by the pitcher this time, until he 
runs into the ball in the hands of the shortstop, 
who has covered third and taken a short throw 
from the pitcher. It would take a long time to 
write all that in a score-book, but the story is 
told just as plainly by the figures 4-2-5-1-6. 
The first figure should show the fielder who 
started the play; the last figure the one who 
completed it. 

For the offense (the plays made by a team 
while at bat) few symbols are required in a 
simple system. There are six ways for a bats- 
man to reach first base. If he gets there on an 
opponent's error, the way to score it already 
has been indicated (E and the number of the 
position erring.) If he makes a base hit indi- 
cate it by the plus sign (+). For an extra base 
hit repeat the sign (-] — |-, for a two-base hit; 
-\ — \ — I — [-, for a home run). A base on balls is 
shown by four dots ( : : ) . The sign for a bats- 
man hit by pitched ball is HPB. Once in a 
great while a batter is given first base for in- 
terference. This can be indicated by a mar- 
ginal note. The only other way to reach first 
base is on a play made to retire a teammate 
at some other base — a ** fielder's choice,'' as 
it is called. Use the multiplication sign (X) 
to show that fact. When the batter makes a 
sacrifice hit put an asterisk (*) in front of the 
figure, or figures, used to score the play. 

After reaching first base the runner may 



320 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

advance by stealing. Indicate it by the letter 
S. If he advances on a balk, nse BK; if on a 
wild pitch, WP ; if on a passed ball, P. If he 
is left on a base when the side is retired show 
that by the letter L, but if he completes the cir- 
cuit indicate the run by a magnified period ( • ) . 

There are many different kinds of blank 
forms in score-cards and score-books, but that 
need not bother any one. The principle is the 
same in all. Whenever obtainable I use the 
form known as the ^' Harry Wright system '* 
and distinguished by the fact each blank is 
made up of rows of squares, each square con- 
taining a diamond and divided into four sec- 
tions. The lower right-hand corner of each 
square is the place to set down how a batsman 
reaches or does not reach first base. In the 
upper right-hand corner put down how a player 
goes from first to second or is put out there. 
The upper left-hand corner is for telling what 
happened between second and third, and the 
lower left-hand corner is for the journey from 
third home. If the runner scores, place a dot 
in the diamond inclosed by that square to indi- 
cate the run. In any other form of score blank 
the same method can be followed, using one 
corner of each square for a base in the order 
in which the runner goes around. 

The professional scorer uses more symbols 
than these, as will be explained, but with the 
foregoing characters at one's finger-tips any 



SCORING THE GAME 321 

one can score every play made in a game. 
WHat is more useful, such a score card, if pre- 
served, can be consulted ten days or ten years 
afterward and the game can be played over in 
memory simply by reading the plays. And if 
any one tries to tell you that game was not won 
or lost '' that way " you can win your argu- 
ment with that score card. 

Many baseball reporters and official scorers 
use systems containing no more detail than 
already described. No more is needed to re- 
cord everything that goes to make up a player's 
batting or fielding average. Those reporters 
who need more detail for their descriptions of 
games can trust to memory for a few hours 
regarding the direction of important hits or 
the nature of the errors made. This isn't a 
safe way, however, particularly when writing 
up important battles, like those of a world's 
series, when a paper and its readers often de- 
mand accurate description of practically every 
play. For that purpose it is necessary only to 
amplify the system already outlined and it can 
be done gradually. 

Often it is necessary to know the order in 
which players were put out. When men on 
bases are retired this will not always be clear 
unless the outs are numbered in their turn. 
For that purpose write the number of the out 
(1, 2 or 3) beneath the characters telling how 
the out was made, giving it the form of a frac- 



322 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

tion. Tlien in the matter of fly balls, not all 
of them are alike and you cannot always re- 
member whether Jones hit an easy curving fly 
or a line drive to Smith in right field. To dis- 
tinguish them I use the letter F for an ordinary 
fly, D for a line drive and P for a pop-up or 
** Texas league '' fly that is caught. Some- 
times a foul fly is captured, and that is shown 
by using FF. 

Not all errors are of the same kind. For 
instance, E5 indicates the batsman reached first 
on the third baseman's error. But it does not 
tell whether it was a fumbled grounder, a wild 
throw or a muffed fly. If, instead of the vague 
E, you had used M to indicate a fumbled 
grounder, or W to indicate a wild throw, or 
to indicate a muffed fly, you would not have 
to trust to memory to know what misdeed 5 
committed. There is another complication. 
The third baseman may do his part by making 
a perfect throw, but the first baseman muffs 
the ball and the runner is safe. That is shown 
by 5 — 03, meaning that Mr. 3 muffed Mr. 5's 
throw. In recording strikeouts the figure 2 is 
not sufficiently specific, so the letter K is used 
with it. 

The direction of a safe hit is told by a small 
figure under the base hit sign, showing the 
number of the fielder to whom or near whom 
the hit went. The figure 8 under a base hit 
means a hit to center. If it is desired to be 



SCORING THE GAME 323 

more exact, a hit to right center can be indi- 
cated by putting the 8 at the right of the plus 
sign. A system of scoring which insures a 
permanent record of all the plays in a game 
will show how every baserunner reached each 
base made by him. If he completes the circuit 
the four squares will contain the record of how 
he reached each base. Except when a base is 
stolen or gained on a battery error, the scoring 
of which already has been explained, the run- 
ner generally is advanced by a succeeding bats- 
man or while a successful or unsuccessful at- 
tempt is being made to put out a succeeding 
batsman. To indicate the advancing of a run- 
ner in these cases use the letters A, B, C, D. 
When a runner advances on something done by 
or to the batsman immediately following him, 
use A to show it. Use B to indicate an advance 
on something that happened to the second suc- 
ceeding batsman, and so on. 

By this time perhaps the reader is of the 
opinion that baseball scoring is pretty complex, 
after all, but a great deal of the system here set 
forth may be omitted. Beginning with the sim- 
ple system outlined at the start one may am- 
plify it, by adopting more detail, as far as de- 
sired. The advantage of the complete, de- 
tailed system lies in its permanence. 

For illustration I have taken the score of the 
final game of the world's series between Ath- 
lectics and Cubs in 1910, It is reproduced 



324 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

in two sections, diagram 1 representing the 
plays while the Athletics were at bat and dia- 
gram 2 those while the Cubs were at bat. With- 
out consulting newspaper files or any source of 
information, except this shorthand score of 
that game, any desired amount of details can 
be written, not only now, months after the 
game, but twenty years from now, when even 
the names of the players may be forgotten. 
Following is a partial translation of the dia- 
grams : 

First inning — Athletics : Hartsel hit a sin- 
gle past the shortstop, stole second and went 
the rest of the way home on what happened in 
the square opposite Collins' name. Lord struck 
out. Collins hit safely to center field, and that, 
of course, was what let Hartsel score from 
second base. Collins stole second and was left 
there. Baker fouled to the catcher. Davis 
struck out. For the Cubs we find on the other 
diagram that Sheckard hit a grounder to the 
first-baseman and the pitcher covered first, 
making the putout. Schulte and Hofman both 
hit grounders to the second-baseman and were 
thrown out at first. 

Second inning — Athletics: Murphy was 
thrown out from third base to first. Barry 
popped a fly to the shortstop. Lapp struck out. 
For the Cubs : Chance made a two-base hit to 
left and went to third when Zimmerman sacri- 
ficed, the pitcher fielding the bunt and throwing 



SCORING THE GAME 325 

to the second-baseman who covered first. Stein- 
feldt singled and Chance scored. Steinfeldt 
was left on first as Tinker fouled out to the 
first-baseman and Archer filed to center. 

Third inning — Athletics: Coombs struck 
out. Hartsel was thrown out from second to 
first and Lord from the pitcher to first base. 
For the Cubs : Brown was out from pitcher to 
first base, Sheckard out, second to first. 
Schulte made a hit to center, tried to steal and 
was thrown out, catcher to second-baseman. 

Fourth inning — Athletics: Collins hit a 
grounder to the first-baseman, who touched the 
bag himself. Baker struck out. Davis went 
out, second to first. For the Cubs: Hofman 
drew a base on balls and was forced out at sec- 
ond base, pitcher to shortstop, when Chance 
tried to advance him. Chance reached first on 
this fielder's choice play and went to second 
when Zimmerman made a single to left. Stein- 
feldt hit a grounder to the third-baseman, who 
fumbled it. Chance reached third, Zimmerman 
second and Steinfeldt first on the error. In 
that hole, with the bases full, one out and the 
score tied. Tinker and Archer struck out. 

Fifth inning — Athletics : Murphy hit safely 
past third, went to second on Barry's sacrifice, 
pitcher to first, and scored when Lapp singled 
to center. Coombs was out, pitcher to first, and 
Hartsel struck out. For the Cubs : Brown was 
out, second to first. Sheckard singled but was 



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328 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

forced out, shortstop to second-baseman, when 
Schulte hit a grounder to short. Schulte beat 
the double play to first but tried to steal and 
was thrown out by the catcher. 

Try your hand at the sixth and seventh in- 
nings. All plays on both sides were simple. 

Eighth inning — Athletics: Coombs singled 
but was forced out at second when Hartsel hit 
to the shortstop. Hartsel reached first on the 
play and stole second. Lord doubled, scoring 
Hartsel. Collins hit a two-bagger past first 
base, scoring Lord. Collins stole third but was 
put out, second-baseman to catcher, when he 
tried to score on Baker's grounder. Davis 
drew a base on balls, which sent Baker to sec- 
ond. Murphy hit one too hot for the second- 
baseman to handle. Baker scored on it. Davis 
went all the way from first base home on the 
same play but ought to have been out at the 
plate if the second-baseman had not made a 
wild throw after getting the ball again. 

Murphy, who made the hit, ran to second on 
the play made to stop Davis at the plate, and 
kept right on to third before the wild throw 
was recovered. He scored from third on a wild 
pitch. Barry was given a base on balls. Lapp 
was out, pitcher to first base. For the Cubs: 
Sheckard made a two-base hit and advanced 
to third while Schulte was being put out, short 
to first. Hofman struck out. Chance singled to 
right, scoring Sheckard. Zimmerman filed out. 



SCORING THE GAME 329 

Nintli inning — Athletics: Coombs and 
Hartsel went out, pitcher to first. Lord took 
a base on balls and went to third on Collins' 
two base hit. Both runners were left when the 
first-baseman caught Baker's foul. For the 
Cubs: Steinfeldt popped a fly to center. 
Tinker hit a longer fly to the same fielder. 
Archer singled to right. Kling batted for 
Brown and hit to the shortstop, who stepped 
on second base, forcing Archer out and ending 
the world's series. 

If one wants to know who ** second-base- 
man," ^^ shortstop," ^^ pitcher," and so forth, 
are in the above translation it is necessary only 
to look at the opposite team to find out, if by 
any possibility one has forgotten who played 
in that game. 

In the totals beneath the innings the top row 
of figures shows the runs made in each inning ; 
the lower row shows the hits in each inning. 
The columns of figures at the right of each dia- 
gram are the so-called ^' box-scores " which 
appear in the newspapers. Therein are shown 
the times at bat, runs, safe hits, putouts, assists 
and errors made by each player in the game. 
The fielding record of each player, it must be 
remembered, is made up from the opposite side 
of the book or card. For example, the ' ' Mr. 
8 " who put out Archer in the second inning 
was Lord, not Hofman. 



ROWING 



BOWING 

Of all sports common among school and col- 
lege students, none is greater as a muscle and 
strength builder than rowing. But the very- 
factors which make it an excellent developer 
of brawn also make it a dangerous sport unless 
carefully supervised. Bowing demands great 
muscular exertion and the heart and lungs are 
put under heavy strain. For this reason it 
should not be indulged in, in its more strenuous 
forms, except by boys and men who are phys- 
ically fitted for its requirements, and it is there- 
fore not an ideal sport for inter scholastic com- 
petition except when under the direction of 
competent persons. These remarks, however, 
are directed towards organized rowing with 
active competition. In its less strenuous forms, 
rowing can be tried by almost any soundly built 
boy with both pleasurable and healthful re- 
sults. 

Crew rowing, because of its team-work, of- 
fers the most enjoyment and the best training. 
At the same time, whenever competition en- 
ters, this form becomes the most strenuous, 
and the younger boys who wish to become 
oarsmen should confine their efforts to becom- 

333 



334 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

ing familiar with boats and oars, learning to 
scull, to row in the pair-oar or in the barge, 
but leave the contesting of races to their older 
and more developed comrades. At most, 
younger boys ought not to put themselves to 
greater strains than races of a quarter or half 
a mile. This does not preclude the boy who is 
fond of the water from having the very best 
fun in rowing or gaining the very best kind of 
healthful exercise. This is the same precau- 
tion which the boy who runs should take in not 
attempting much competition on the track or 
in the field. 

Although the majority of the men who are 
members of crews which win distinction are of 
good weight and stature, no boy who has a 
sound body and a fair amount of strength need 
feel that he cannot enjoy rowing and even be- 
come proficient in some of its many forms. I 
have known many instances of men who 
weighed not more than one hundred and thirty- 
five pounds becoming skilled and fast scullers. 
As in nearly all other branches of sport, skill 
will often more than make up for size when 
a fair amount of strength is at hand. In the 
large English schools at least half of the boys 
learn to handle the sweep as well as the sculls 
and big and little enjoy many afternoons on 
the rivers. 

A boy who is learning to row should be able 
to swim. The light craft in which most rowing 



ROWING 335 

is done are very ticklish machines when in the 
hands of the unskilled, and a spill into the water 
is not an uncommon event with the novice. One 
should never begin his rowing in the lighter 
and more speedy shell, for not only is there 
danger of breaking one of these fragile boats, 
but the beginner is more likely to form bad 
habits when his attention is engrossed in keep- 
ing his boat right side up rather than with his 
rowing. He should start in a sliding-seat 
barge or on a rowing-machine. There are many 
types of barges, varying from the pair-oared 
to the eight-oared barge and there are an equal 
number of satisfactory rowing-machines. At 
many of the larger universities, the men are 
taught to row in tanks where a stationary boat 
is rigged with all the equipment necessary for 
rowing and with oars which have blades with 
large holes. These holes and the fact that the 
water is pumped through the tank at a rapid 
rate gives the oarsman very much the same 
conditions that he would meet in a moving boat, 
while at the same time he has artificial steadi- 
ness which allows him to put all his attention 
on his rowing. Another excellent way to learn 
to row is to enter a boat with an experienced 
partner, who will steady and teach at the same 
time. 

In sweep-oar rowing, that is, rowing where 
each member of the crew pulls but one oar, 
there are many different styles and many dif- 



336 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

ferent strokes, but all the best aim at certain 
fundamentals which are necessary to get the 
greatest amount of speed out of the energy 
applied. I shall briefly run over some of these 
points. 

The thing which bothers the novice most of 
all and which he is longest in mastering is the 
sliding seat. It runs very easily and to the 
beginner it is often more of a handicap than an 
advantage. Therefore it is well to start at 
once to learn its control. To this end, one rule 
can be laid down, the slide should always fol- 
low and never precede the shoulders and back 
in the backward and forward swing. At the 
beginning of the stroke the seat should be al- 
most if not quite at the end of the slide nearest 
the stern of the boat. The body is bent for- 
ward along the keel, and the arms swing out 
with the oar. The body should not follow the 
arms and the oar. It is very important that 
this full reach, which is the term applied to this 
part of the stroke, should not be carried to ex- 
cess. If the oarsman leans forward as far as 
he can, he will assume a position from which 
it is almost impossible to make a quick, power- 
ful catch. On the other hand, if he is leaning 
comfortably well forward with his arms ex- 
tended but not over extended, he will find him- 
self in a strong position from which he can 
move very quickly and exert his full strength 
on the oar. 





THE CATCH. NOTICE THE EASY, 
STRONG POSITION OF THE BODY 
AT THE FULL REACH. EVERY- 
THING IS WELIi-POISED 
FOR THE CATCH. 



IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PULL. NOTE 

THE STRAIGHT ARMS, THE DRIVE 

OF THE LEGS, AND THE SWING 

OF THE SHOULDERS. 





THE FINISH. THE LEGS ARE DOWN 

TIGHT ON THE STRETCHER. THE 

BODY HAS SWUNG SLIGHTLY PAST 

THE PERPENDICULAR, THE ARMS 

HAVE BEEN DRAWN SHARPLY 

INTO THE BODY FOR A 

HARD FINISH. 



THE RECOVER. THE HANDS HAVE 
BEEN SENT RAPIDLY AWAY FROM 
THE BODY, THE BODY IS SWING- 
ING FORWARD. THE SEAT IS 
STILL HELD BACK AS THE 
LEGS ARE LOCKED DOWN 
ON THE STRETCHER. 



PRACTICE ON THE MACHINE 



ROWING 337 

So far we have said nothing about the feet 
and legs, which play such an important part in 
rowing. The feet should rest squarely upon the 
foot-rest or '' stretcher,'' which is placed close 
or far away from the end of the slide accord- 
ing to the size of the oarsman. This stretcher 
should never be so close as to prevent the seat 
from coming to the end of the slide when at 
full reach. At the same time it should be close 
enough to act as a brake to the slide as the seat 
approaches the end, so that the oarsman will 
be conscious of a tightening of the muscles of 
his legs and an ability to push on the stretcher 
with all his strength. 

The instant the body comes to the full reach, 
the oar should enter the water and full power 
be applied so that the stroke of the oar will be 
begun immediately. To do this the hands must 
be raised sharply, while at the same moment 
the shoulders swing their weight on to the oar 
and the legs are driven down hard. By the 
time the body assumes the perpendicular and 
while the arms are still straight, the legs are 
down being completely straightened in one 
motion. This shove will send the seat spinning 
back along the runners. If the leg drive is 
made before the shoulders are started the slide 
will run away ahead of the shoulders and in all 
probability the powerful drive of the legs will 
be wasted. The body will have assumed a weak 
position similar to that seen when an oarsman 



338 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

overreaches, in wMcli event the whole burden of 
the stroke falls on the shoulders and back and 
the greater part of the power is lost. By start- 
ing the shoulders, back, and legs together and 
from a position which is easy and comfortable, 
it will be seen that the leg drive comes at a 
time when it can add most to the speed and 
power of the stroke. Furthermore, as the 
shoulders and back are moving at full speed 
when the slide starts, they will have passed the 
perpendicular when the end of the slide is 
reached and thus shoulders and slide will finish 
their excursion together. Still further to add 
to the unity of the stroke, the arms should be 
sharply brought into the body at approximately 
the same time that the slide is finished. 

If these points are all observed, the stroke 
will come to a sharp, clean end with the handle 
of the oar drawn against the body and the arms 
at the sides, the back being a few degrees be- 
yond the perpendicular and the legs locked 
tightly down on the slide with the feet braced 
against the stretcher. With the expert, this 
point coincides with the quick leaving of the 
water by the oar, which marks good rowing by 
its clean, hard finish. For the beginner an- 
other step is necessary before he is ready 
to start on the forward swing of the recov- 
ery. This step is the slight dropping of the 
wrists and hands so that the oar clears itself 
of the water as it turns on the feather. This 



ROWING 339 

is one of the hardest things which the novice 
has to struggle with, but gradually, as he be- 
comes more skilled, he finds that the ending of 
his stroke, dropping of his wrists, and feather- 
ing become one continuous and instantaneous 
motion. 

In starting the recovery, which is fully as 
important in good rowing as the stroke itself, 
the hands should be quickly shot away from the 
body until the arms are extended. This point 
is reached just about the time the hands are 
over the knees and at that instant the shoul- 
ders follow mechanically after the arms. When 
the knees have been cleared by the hands, 
the legs, which have remained straight and 
tight against the slide, bend at the knee and 
release the seat, which starts easily but rapidly 
to follow the body forward. Here again the 
slide must never be allowed to get ahead of 
the shoulders and the beginner will find it nec- 
essary to make a conscious effort to slow his 
slide. During the last six or eight inches of 
the slide the seat should creep towards its for- 
ward destination. All this time the body has 
been assuming its position between the knees 
for the full reach so that the instant the seat 
comes to the end of the slide the next stroke 
can be begun. The knees can be made a point 
of support for the body and thus keep it from 
swinging from one side to the other. For this 
purpose they should not be held close together, 



340 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

but separated just enougli to come almost di- 
rectly under the armpits when the full reach is 
gained. 

So much for the stroke from its inboard 
aspect; now for the points important to the 
outboard work. In starting the stroke, the oar 
should be buried in the water so that the top 
edge of the blade is covered by about two inches 
of water. This depth should be maintained 
throughout the entire stroke. The oar should 
rest squarely against the flattened pin in the 
lock. On the recovery, the feather, which is put 
on the instant the blade leaves the water, is 
held until just before the full reach, when it is 
turned slowly off. In rough weather and 
against a head wind the feather is held longer 
than under more favorable conditions. On the 
recovery the blade should always clear the 
water and never be dragged along the surface, 
as this materially checks the boat's progress. 
In rough weather one feathers high, but the 
lower one feathers on a smooth bit of water the 
easier it is to keep the boat on an even keel. 

To keep the boat from rolling is a task which 
always seems hard to the beginner and he is 
tempted to swing to one side or the other in 
his efforts to maintain his balance. This is 
wrong, and the expert never finds it necessary. 
In the first place, if one has his stretcher prop- 
erly placed and his feet well and tightly fast- 
ened against it, one finds his control over the 



ROWING 341 

boat much increased. Then it will be found 
that by raising or lowering the toes of one foot 
or the other the boat can be thrown to one side 
or the other. By this little trick alone one can 
change the balance of an eight-oared shell. 
The knees, if they are opened somewhat, are 
also a valuable means of keeping the boat 
steady on the recovery. Still another means 
is to balance her with the oars. Thus if one 
side is down, the men on that side raise their 
hands while the men on the opposite side help 
by lowering theirs. 

An important thing to learn in all manner of 
rowing is how tight the grip upon the oar 
should be. If one holds too firmly and too 
tightly the forearms will soon become very 
tired and cramped so that it becomes almost 
impossible for the oarsman to put any power 
into his stroke. On the other hand, too loose 
a grip may prove disastrous and result in a 
** crab." The oar should be held firmly but 
lightly. On the pull through, the grasp with 
the fingers will be strong and hard but the 
thumb will do little more than to steady the 
handle. On the recovery, the thumb and palm 
of the hand should do most of the work while 
the fingers rest lightly and even loosely on the 
oar and thus rest for the work of the next 
stroke. If there is this relaxation on each 
stroke, one's arms will never become ** tied 
up,'* as the saying is, no matter how far one 



342 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

rows. The more expert one becomes the less 
one grips his oar. The hand which does the 
feathering should bear the brunt on the recov- 
ery, while the outside hand, i. e., that farthest 
from the blade, should be the hand which does 
most of the pulling, as it is best situated to 
apply the leverage. Feathering and beveling 
(which is the opposite of feathering) are done 
by dropping or raising the wrist, as the case 
may be. 

In sculling, which is the term given to row- 
ing when each oarsman uses two oars or sculls 
instead of a single sweep, the fundamental prin- 
ciples are identical with those of sweep-oar 
rowing. The slide, the feather, the hard, clean 
catch and finish, offer the same problems, but 
there comes in the added element of using an 
oar in each hand rather than one large sweep, 
and the nicety with which the work must be 
done is even more essential with the sculls. 
This is especially true in single and double 
sculling, when bull strength counts much less 
than cleverness and skill in the use of the oars. 
A man may be a first-class sweep oar and yet 
be unable to make any headway as a sculler, 
and while there are scullers of note who for one 
reason or another would not rank among the 
best with the sweeps, it is rare to see a sculler 
who cannot perform fairly well with the bigger 
oar. 

In learning to scull, the beginner has first to 



ROWING 343 

master his boat, for a single siell is a ticklish 
toy except in trained hands. The first rule he 
must learn is to hold on to his sculls no matter 
what happens. If he does this he will be sur- 
prised to see how soon he masters the situ- 
ation, whereas the moment he lets a scull slip 
from his hand he is sure to get a ducking. Then 
as he learns to balance his boat without thought 
and to take his strokes with ease and freedom, 
he gradually becomes at home in his frail craft. 
But not until he can say that rough and smooth 
water are all the same to him, has he become 
a first-class sculler. In learning to scull, the 
man who takes his chances is the man who goes 
ahead the fastest. One should endeavor to 
take a hard catch at the full reach and put the 
whole weight on the instant the oar enters the 
water. This sounds very simple, but when one 
realizes that at the full reach the oars are not 
in a favorable position to maintain the boat's 
balance and the body is less easily controlled 
because of its forward bending, it will be seen 
that to take a full, hard stroke means perfect 
confidence and freedom. 

In sculling, to overreach is even more detri- 
mental to good results than in sweep-oar row- 
ing. At the same time, it is not necessary for 
the sculler to swing so far back, as his hands 
can be carried farther in to the sides with the 
sculls than with a sweep. But he should not 
overdo this, and the hands should never be 



344 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

carried past the body as often beginners 
attempt to do. Finish with the hands not 
farther back than the hips. The catch, or begin- 
ning of the stroke, should be made with the 
arms straight so that the motion comes straight 
from the shoulder. This is advisable in sweep- 
oar rowing but even more essential to good 
sculling. The catch should be smart and clean. 
The oars should be brought through to the fin- 
ish with ever-increasing velocity so that there 
will be no break in the stroke. If this is done 
and the sculler makes certain that the blades 
leave the water absolutely together, the finish 
is sure to be hard and clean. After the hands 
have been sent away quickly on the recovery 
and the slide started, the whole body should 
relax, so that a little rest between strokes is 
gained. As the catch is approached, the whole 
body is free — there should be no constriction 
whatsoever — and as the seat comes up to the 
end of the slide the sculler without tightening 
a muscle sets himself for the next stroke. 

Ehythm is very necessary to successful row- 
ing, and whether it be in single sculling or in 
the eight an effort should be made to maintain 
a definite rhythm to the stroke so that each 
stroke, no matter what the rate of striking 
may be, will have its proportions always the 
same. Thus if the stroke is quickened, instead 
of rushing backwards and forwards haphaz- 
ardly, the stroke will still preserve its definite 



ROWING 345 

full rhythm, the only difference being that every 
motion is accomplished more rapidly. The in- 
tervals are shortened but the relationship is 
kept the same. 

'As a sculler or a crew becomes more and 
more proficient, an attempt should be made to 
master various rates of striking. Starting at 
a moderately low stroke, which is the easiest to 
learn, it should be gradually raised until a 
rapid rate is reached. At first this will not be 
very high, as if it is high it will be poorly 
executed. If no attempt is made to rush the 
process and the increase in striking is advanced 
gradually, it will be surprising how quickly a 
change can be accomplished and a high rate 
mastered. Then at the same time it is wise to 
learn to drop the stroke very low, for in this 
way as in no other are errors in style most 
easily detected and corrected. 

A good sculler or a good stroke-oar in a crew 
learns to vary his stroke without any great 
effort. One should never attempt to change 
the rate in one or two strokes but to increase 
or lower it gradually. This gives the boat a 
chance to respond. One should always study 
his boat or his crew to see at what rate the best 
results can be obtained, and that rate should 
be the one at which most of the rowing is done, 
but no sculler or crew is really good without 
being able to sprint at a high rate of striking 
and paddle at a low one. Beginners should 



346 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

bear in mind that to row with a fast stroke 
does not mean that the pull must be harder, but 
rather that all the movements are quickened. 

In England there is one universal style of 
rowing and all schools teach the same stroke. 
There, the long body-swing and the short slide, 
are accepted features in good rowing, and all 
oarsmen are brought up with the same ideas of 
rowing. In America there are many schools 
of rowing and almost as many different styles 
of stroking as there are teachers, and yet a 
close analysis of each shows that certain funda- 
mentals are common to all successful strokes. 
The shorter body-swing and the longer slide 
are characteristic of American rowing, but like 
many of the other points of difference between 
strokes this is only superficial, as the length of 
the stroke in the water varies little in the two 
countries. At Cornell, where Coach Courtney 
has had such uniform success, the individual 
is the all-important factor. Each man rows in 
the way easiest to him. His rigging is fitted 
carefully to his needs. Vith long rows at a 
low stroke, Courtney welds the men into a crew, 
getting them accustomed to one another's little 
idiosyncrasies. At Columbia and Syracuse, 
where the material is generally less powerful 
and less plentiful, Coaches Rice and Ten Eyck 
have fitted their stroke to the material at hand 
and an easy, graceful stroke results. At Har- 
vard, more attention is paid to form and more 



ROWING 347 

effort made to fit the men to a standard stroke 
whicli seems most efficient to the coach. But 
to all certain salient points are common. These 
are in brief: a hard, clean catch, a continuous 
and increasing pull through, and a hard, clean 
finish followed by a quick shooting of the hands 
away from the body and a slow, easy recovery. 
Variations are found and minor differences are 
many, but on these points all are practically 
agreed. 

In training for rowing events, perhaps the 
best piece of advice which can be given is this : 
Do your hard rowing early in your preparation 
so that the last week or so may be of a lighter 
order. Do not overdo in the amount of rowing. 
Many a good crew has been found sadly lacking 
when it came to the final test of endurance be- 
cause, as one great coach said, ^* They had left 
all their rowing on the water by too much prac- 
tice." ** If you are unprepared a week before 
your race, ' ' said a wise trainer, * ' it will do you 
little good to try to make up for lost time in 
the days that remain." Another good point to 
remember is that morning and evening are the 
best times to row, for then the sun is not too 
hot and the wind is apt to be less. 



HOW TO TEAIN A CREW 

BY W. A. BANCEOFT 

Before training comes the selection of men. 
Too great care cannot be taken that the mem- 
bers of a crew are, first, physically sound ; and, 
second, anatomically fitted for rowing. Men 
whose organs are nnsound, not only are likely 
to suffer themselves, but, when they break 
down, new men are taken in their places, and 
there is lost the unison of a crew — the result 
of weeks of preparation. The work must be 
done over, if there is time. If not, the crew is 
weakened to that extent. Men should have a 
suitable stature and suitable proportions. Men 
too tall or too short, men with extremely long 
or short arms or legs, conform only with great 
difficulty, if at all, to the movements of the rest 
of the crew. Men from five feet eight inches to 
six feet in height, and weighing, without cloth- 
ing, from one hundred and fifty to one hundred 
and eighty-five pounds when in racing condi- 
tion, are generally the best. There is, of 
course, great choice in fiber. Some considera- 
tion also should be given to temperament and 

348 



HOW TO TRAIN A CREW 349 

disposition. A man should have resolution, 
spirit, good judgment, amiability, and equanim- 
ity. A good crew must be essentially harmoni- 
ous, and this involves adaptability on the part 
of all of its members to each other. Boat- 
racing should not be undertaken, as a rule, by 
those under seventeen years of age; and it 
would be safer to begin at eighteen or even 
nineteen. The sport is a violent one, and is 
likely to be too exacting for persons in mid- 
youth. The organs are not then sufficiently 
powerful; and an arrested development, even 
if nothing more serious, may result. 

Training involves the amounts and kinds of 
exercise, food and drink, sleep, and bathing for 
the body, besides the occupation of the mind 
and its discipline. 

And first of exercise: 

If the persons selected have the time at their 
disposal, it is always better, before beginning 
to row, to practise for a week or two several 
forms of exercise, for the purpose of strength- 
ening certain muscles of the back and legs, as 
well as the wrist muscles, and to get the heart 
and lungs accustomed to greater activity. As 
the crew, which at this time should contain at 
least two more men than the number of oars to 
be pulled, must conform to the powers of its 
weakest member, and as it is not prudent to 
begin by taking a large amount of exercise, at 
first not over twenty minutes ought to be spent 



350 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

on gymnasium apparatus and in calisthenio 
exercises, and not over a mile ought to be cov- 
ered in walking and running, three-quarters of 
which should be walking. This exercise ought 
to be gradually increased until thirty-five or 
forty minutes are spent in the gymnasium, and 
a run of a mile and a half at a pace of seven 
or eight miles an hour is taken. 

The gymnasium exercises should consist of 
work on vertical bars, on wrist weights, to some 
extent on arm and chest weights, and in doing 
the military ** setting up '^ exercises, such as 
are now prescribed for the army of the United 
States, especially the exercise which consists in 
lowering and raising the body by bending the 
legs at the knees, or ** squatting." The gym- 
nasium exercises ought to be done by all to- 
gether at the word of command, both for the 
sake of acquiring uniformity of movement, and 
also of acquiring a habit of obedience. A crew 
is a machine. Its parts must fit each other, and 
the whole must start and move and stop as 
directed. 

These gymnasium exercises for the first two 
or three years of rowing should be kept up 
daily, until within about six weeks of a race, 
usually from ten to fifteen minutes being given 
to them, even after the actual rowing has be- 
gun; and the runs should be kept up until 
nearly as late a date. During the six weeks or 
thereabouts immediately preceding a race, a 



HOW TO TRAIN A CREW 351 

smart walk of a mile or more, according to the 
time available, ought to be substituted for the 
exercises and the running. For students and 
those whose vocations are sedentary, it is a 
good plan to take the walk immediately upon 
rising, and, while perspiring, follow it with a 
quick shower or plunge bath, and a rub-down 
before breakfast. If there is time, instead of 
this, a longer walk at a less rapid pace may be 
taken during the day. Overdoing, however, is 
to be avoided. What a given crew can do must 
be learned by experience; and individuals 
should be relieved, if it is found that they are 
doing too much. Especially as the day of the 
race approaches, care should be taken that no 
one is overtrained. If there is doubt, a given 
exercise had best be omitted. 

The food should consist of meat and fish, 
vegetables, light puddings, and fruit ; the drink 
of pure water, and good milk if wanted. Pa- 
stry, confections, alcoholic drinks, and tobacco 
should be prohibited. The food should be 
abundant and wholesome. Steaks, chops, or 
broiled chicken, with fish for breakfast; soup, 
fish, and a roast for dinner in the middle of the 
day; and a cold roast or breakfast dishes for 
supper. The roasts should not be overdone, 
but should be suitably cooked so as to retain 
the juices. The best of vegetables should be 
selected, and fruit in its season. The bread 
should be neither too fresh nor too stale. In 



352 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

short, all these articles of food should be pre- 
pared as they are at a first-class hotel. The 
best of good, wholesome food, and that in abun- 
dance, is needed. There ought to be no regret 
if weight is not lost, provided each man does 
his share of the work in the boat. Good food 
and plenty of exercise strengthen the muscles; 
and if this process is going on, an increase in 
weight is of little moment. 

The oarsman should have all the sleep he 
wants; and between the ages of eighteen and 
twenty-five he will need about nine hours in 
bed, if he does honest work in the boat. He 
should sleep in a well-ventilated room, and on 
a hair mattress and pillow, with no more cov- 
ering than is necessary for warmth, and this 
will not be much. His sleep should be taken 
at regular hours. Besides the morning bath, 
one other cold bath daily may be taken after 
the row, or after the harder row if there are 
two ; but the bath must be taken while perspi- 
ration is going on, that is, at once after the 
row is done. The bath should not be prolonged, 
and should be followed by a vigorous rubbing 
down with a dry towel. This rubbing may ad- 
vantageously be followed by another rubbing 
of the limbs by the hands of an attendant, 
whose hands are moistened with spirits for the 
purpose. Care, however, should be taken to 
do the rubbing in a room sufficiently warm and 
free from draughts to avoid taking cold. If, 



HOW TO TRAIN A CREW 353 

for any reason, the oarsman has stopped per- 
spiring before taking a bath, the bath should 
be in warm water. 

The mind should have a rational occupation. 
Freedom from extraordinary care or unusual 
excitement should be insured. Regularity of 
both bodily and mental habits should be ob- 
served. While in the boat the closest attention 
should be given by each man to his perform- 
ance, and time enough should be taken when 
out of the boat to understand and to master 
what is required of him. If there is time, and 
the sole object in view is to win a race, much 
time may profitably be spent by every member 
of the crew in perfecting, by discussion or 
otherwise, the details of the stroke, or of the 
work of individuals, or of the crew as a whole. 
At all events, the mind should be kept healthy 
by the contemplation and the consideration of 
none but wholesome subjects. 

While there should be a regularity in matters 
of food, sleep, and habits, and, in general, in 
exercise, the latter should not be allowed to 
become irksome through its monotony. It is 
better to give up rowing occasionally for a day, 
and substitute some other exercise of a recre- 
ative character, or rest altogether; and, if the 
preparation for a race lasts for six months, a 
vacation of a week ought to be taken when the 
time is half gone. But even then exercise ought 
not wholly to be abandoned; and the rest of 



354 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

the requirements, those relating to food, drink, 
sleep, etc., should be observed. 

Few races ought to be undertaken, and none 
by new men, without at least three months of 
preparation. By this is not meant that, after 
a race is over, a man's habits may be radically 
changed. The true oarsman never essentially 
changes his habits. Unless his concerns pre- 
vent, he will always get plenty of sleep at reg- 
ular hours, will eat nothing but the kinds of 
food described above, will not become a slave 
to any appetite, and will not give up athletic 
exercise. Such a man will be, in a sense, al- 
ways in condition; without inconvenience, he 
will readily assume the more exacting obliga- 
tions necessary to prepare for a race. A crew 
of such men may, of course, prepare for a con- 
test in less than three months' time; but even 
they will do well to give as long a period as 
three months, if the race is to be any but a 
very short one. 

The stroke to be rowed will depend some- 
what upon circumstances. If it should happen 
that there be available for the stroke oarsman 
of the crew, a man who has already acquired 
a smooth, symmetrical, regular, and effective 
movement, it may be expedient to teach the rest 
of the crew his stroke, no matter what the 
style. Good results have been obtained from 
such a course. Good crew shell-rowing, no mat- 
ter what the style of stroke, has certain require- 



HOW TO TRAIN A CREW 355 

ments. The shell must be rowed so that it will 
not roll from side to side ; so that it will not sink 
unnecessarily either at bow or stern, when the 
weight of the crew shifts as it is moved with 
the seats. The oar-blades must take the water 
on the ** full reach '' at the very farthest point 
to which they are carried, without ** clipping '* 
or rowing the first part of the stroke in the air. 
They must take the water also without * * back- 
ing ' ' it, or throwing it towards the bow. They 
must leave the water at the end of the stroke 
without *' slivering,'* or pulling water up as 
they are taken out; that is, the blades must 
take and leave the water so that the least pos- 
sible retardation shall be given to the onward 
movement of the boat, or, as it is sometimes 
said, they must be put in and taken out 
*^ clean " and ^^ smooth.'* 

After the blades are taken out of the water 
at the end of the stroke, they must be returned 
to the ** full reach " again without touching 
the water; for the friction of dragging them 
along the surface tends to hold the boat back. 
The blades, of course, ought to be dipped to- 
gether, taken out together, feathered together 
at a uniform height, and turned again together 
for another stroke. Again, there should be uni- 
formity of movement inside the boat ; indeed, 
unless there is such uniformity, there is little 
likelihood of uniformity of movement outside. 
The backs, therefore, of a crew that rows well 



356 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

will always be parallel, the legs will move sim- 
ultaneously, and so will the seats, and the 
arms will be drawn in at the same time, the 
wrists dropped together at the finish of the 
stroke, the arms extended again at the same 
time, and the hands will be turned simultane- 
ously on the full reach to begin the stroke. All 
these requirements are common to good crew 
shell-rowing, and, when lacking, are indications 
of a faulty stroke. But none of these faults, 
however, may belong to any one of several 
crews, no two of which are rowing the same 
stroke. There may be good rowing, therefore, 
under various styles of stroke. Still, some one 
must be adopted. 

When no other stroke has been adopted, the 
following may be used : Assuming the boat to 
be stationary and the oarsman to be at a ^ * full 
reach,'' arms extended, back straightened from 
its lowest extremity and inclined, seat as far 
aft as it is intended to be moved, blade in the 
water turned for the stroke and just covered, 
the shoulders squared and held down and back, 
the neck and head in prolongation of the back, 
the wrist of the hand next to the rowlock 
slightly convexed, and that hand resting diag- 
onally upon the oar handle, the legs opened 
slightly, but symmetrically, enough to receive 
between the thighs the lower front part of the 
trunk, and the boat resting evenly upon the 
water, the stroke is begun by swaying the 



HOW TO TRAIN A CREW 357 

trunk back as though pivoted at the seat until 
it has reached the vertical position, then the 
legs are straightened out with vigor, the seat 
moving back with the shoulders, the hands be- 
ing kept at such a height that the blade will 
remain just covered, until the seat has been 
moved toward the bow to its limit, and the 
trunk has swung just a trifle beyond the verti- 
cal. The stroke is finished by drawing in the 
arms until the hands touch the body, when, by 
dropping them a bit, and, at the same time 
slightly turning the wrist, the blade is taken 
out of the water. Care should be taken to keep 
the blade just covered in making this finish. 
To return to the ^ ^ full reach ' ' again the hands 
continue moving, and are shot out parallel with 
the surface of the water until the arms are 
straightened, the trunk is swung forward, and 
almost at the same time the seat is started aft, 
while the trunk continues to swing until every- 
thing gets to the ^^ full reach " simultaneously 
and is ready to begin another stroke. Nothing 
but practice, of course, and the assistance of 
an experienced '' coach,'* will enable a crew to 
row smoothly, gracefully, and effectively the 
stroke here attempted to be described. The 
separate parts of the stroke are given as though 
they were independent movements, instead of 
forming, as they do, one continuous but com- 
plicated movement. At the beginning of the 
stroke, or at the *^ catch '' as it is called, the 



358 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

shoulders should be driven back vigorously and 
rapidly, care being taken not to make the mo- 
tion a jerky one by burying the oar-blade too 
deeply, and thus stopping the movement of the 
shoulders. At the finish the most difficult part 
of the movement to be acquired is a rapid 
** shoot '^ of the arms away from the body, 
without a jarring motion by which the hands 
are either sent down into the lap with a violent 
thump, or else the shoulders are brought for- 
ward with a jerk. The *^ catch " and the 
* * shoot ' ^ give no little trouble to beginners ; 
but, when once mastered by a crew, it is be- 
lieved that, other things being equal, no stroke 
without them is so effective. Every motion 
must be such as to waste no energy. After the 
arms are shot out, the trunk, which scarcely 
stops in changing direction, should not be 
rushed towards the '' full reach," but should 
follow at a relatively moderate pace the 
** shoot " of the arms. Especially, care should 
be taken not to let the trunk drop down on the 
*^ full reach '* with a jar or thump, and pains 
should be taken to have the hands high enough 
as they approach the ** full reach '' to bring 
the blade as close to the water as it can be 
brought, without ** backing water," to begin 
the stroke. 

The tricks of watermanship, or of rowing the 
boat * * on an even keel " as it is called, that is, 
without its inclining either to port or star- 



HOW TO TRAIN A GREW 359 

board, can most of them be learned only by 
experience. It is a general rule, when the boat 
inclines to port during the feather, for the star- 
board men to lower their hands and for the 
port men to raise theirs, and vice versa. If the 
boat rolls to port during the stroke, the port 
men must pry her over, done by lifting, as it 
were, their oar-handles, and vice versa. Every 
muscle should, of course, be trained to be under 
absolute control, so as to adjust itself to the 
various conditions of wind, wave, and current 
as they appear, to anticipate, and, by the neces- 
sary motions, to counteract their effect upon 
the ** trim " of the boat. Power must be ap- 
plied vigorously at one instant; at the next, it 
must be taken off so as to maintain the ^ * beat ' ' 
or rhythm of the stroke. 

It is best to teach a novice the motions of the 
trunk, legs, and arms upon a rowing-machine. 
The muscles are then accustomed to many of 
the requirements of the stroke, so that when, 
later, the beginner is seated in a boat, there is 
not so much to be learned at once. Before he 
is allowed to row with a crew, he should be 
taught first, in a pair-oared boat of sufficient 
steadiness not to roll, the proper method of 
handling an oar. From the pair-oar, the mem- 
bers of the crew should next be seated in a 
steady barge, and there be taught to row *' to- 
gether." Lastly, the shell should be entered. 
In the meantime, the way to lift boats, to carry * 



360 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

them, to put them into the water and to take 
them out should be taught ; also the way to get 
in and to get out of a boat ; the way to turn a 
boat without straining it, as well as how to 
'' hold '' it and to '' back "it. A shell must 
be used with the greatest of care, in order that 
its lines may be kept. 

In placing the crew in a boat, care should be 
taken to select for the stroke oarsman a man 
of quick motions, clear head, and self-posses- 
sion, plucky, and of endurance. He should be 
able to set a long stroke, the pace of which he 
can regulate without throwing the crew out of 
time, and he should have power enough to 
^^ drive '' the rest of the crew in a spurt. The 
next man behind the stroke oarsman should be 
a stronger man than he, and one who rows a 
stroke quite as long, and who can keep in per- 
fect time with him. The weight of the crew 
should be so arranged that the boat will never 
** trim down by the head," that is, sink lower 
in the bow than in the stern ; and, as nearly as 
possible, the strength of the men on one side 
should equal the strength of those on the other. 

There are two objects in training a crew — 
one to enable it to acquire an effective stroke, 
the other to enable its members to be in the 
very best physical condition at the hour of the 
race. The first consideration should always 
yield to the second. 



HOCKEY 



HOCKEY 

BY FEED D. HUNTINGTON 

For many years the game of hockey, like 
baseball in the United States, has been the 
characteristic game of Canada, foremost in 
popularity in leagues and colleges. Probably 
because of the fact that prior to the widespread 
erection of artificial ice rinks, the locations in 
the United States naturally adapted to hockey 
were limited and confined to the northern por- 
tions alone, the introduction of the game dates 
from a comparatively recent period. In 1897, 
Dr. Frederick Goodridge of Cambridge, at that 
time a student at Harvard, was impressed with 
the merits of Canadian hockey, and in spite of 
the less favorable conditions was ardent in es- 
tablishing the game as a college sport. The 
experiment was successful. Wherever hockey 
was introduced enthusiastic supporters were 
found. Other colleges and schools followed 
suit, and since that first year hockey has been 
recognized as one of our finest winter sports. 
The popularity of hockey has steadily increased 
until last year it received final and absolute 

363 



364 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

recognition at one of our leading and most con- 
servative colleges. The Harvard Athletic Com- 
mittee endorsed a vote of the Student Council 
making hockey a fifth major sport and award- 
ing its players the straight letter insignia. 

The object of this article is to give those in- 
terested in this game, which possesses such at- 
tractions for lovers of winter sport, some idea 
of its fundamentals. It is hoped that the be- 




POSITION OF TWO TEAMS AT THE FACE-OFF 

ginner may here find instruction that will make 
his progress more rapid and development more 
certain, and that even to those already ac- 
quainted with the game some suggestions will 
prove of value. 

Although there are no standard dimensions 
for a hockey rink, ninety feet by two hundred 
feet is generally considered the most satisfac- 
tory size. For convenience and fast play, some 
sort of side-boards are essential. The goals, 



HOCKEY 365 

six feet wide by four feet high, are placed at 
least ten feet from the ends. 

The speed of the game requires careful selec- 
tion of equipment; heavy or clumsy shoes and 
guards are enough to ruin any player. * Jersey, 
tights, and running trunks make an ideal play- 
ing costume even for cold weather. Strips of 
felt about one inch thick, that may be conve- 
niently slipped inside the tights make excellent 
guards for shin and knee. Shoes should be 
tight-fitting and light, with thin soles; skates, 
also light, of thin steel, with well-rockered 
blade, should be riveted on to the shoe. This 
equipment applies for defense men as well as 
forwards, though the former may require 
slightly thicker guards. The goal-keeper needs 
all the protection consistent with the agility 
required of him. 

There are many models of sticks adapted to 
individual taste. Certain general requirements 
are common to all, however. A good stick must 
be light, with a firm, stiff shaft. When held out 
on the ice at arm's length the heel of the blade 
should rest flat, with the toe raised but slightly. 

The prime requisite of a hockey player is 
ability to skate. Perfect familiarity with 
straight skating, starting, stopping, and turn- 
ing, etc., are invaluable and can be secured only 
by practice. A distance or fancy skater is not 
necessarily a good hockey skater, for hockey 
requires expertness along certain lines; start- 



366 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

ing, stopping, and balance for dodging are the 
qualities to be developed. 

A game of bockey is a series of starts and 
stops and one who excels in this will pass as 
a fast hockey player. To start and stop you 
must have sharp skates, ground on a small- 
radius stone, which gives sharp edges to grip 
the ice and a slightly concave center. To make 
a quick stop the skater turns his body sideways, 
throws his weight back, while his skates, at 
right angles to the direction of his progress, 
bring him to a stop. If one faces to the left in 
stopping, the right leg is straight out, rigid at 
the knee; it is the inside edge of this skate 
that does the actual stopping. The left knee is 
slightly bent. This leg serves to balance and 
guide. In this manner, not only does the skater 
come most rapidly to a stop, but he is also in 
the best possible position for a quick start. In 
the position I have described, facing left, body 
inclined, right leg rigid, left knee bent, the first 
drive is with the left foot, the right is brought 
forward slightly in front of the left for the 
second drive, the skates still nearly at right 
angles with the forward motion. After three 
or four short powerful thrusts from the front 
side of the skate, the skater faces forward and 
strikes out in the ordinary skating stride, ta- 
king short steps and short glides, until well 
under way, getting the full thrust from the 
front inner edge of each skate. Each skate as 



HOCKEY 367 

it comes off the ice should be at an angle of 
at least forty-five degrees with the line of for- 
ward progress. Avoid pounding, that is, bring- 
ing the skate flat down on the ice. "With each 
stroke the toe of the skate touches the ice first, 
with the knee bent to give spring and supple- 
ness. At the half-stroke the heel touches, as the 
leg drives out, the full finish is off the very toe 
edge again. 

The art of raising or shooting the puck is 
very difficult to explain, and proficiency in this 
department requires more conscientious effort 
than almost any other. Let me remind you that 
ice is not necessary to practise shooting; con- 
crete or wood surfaces do very well. Take the 
stick naturally with either right or left hand 
slightly less than one-half the way down the 
shaft. With the right hand down, the heel of 
the left face of the blade would be placed 
against the puck, and as the puck is shoved for- 
ward the blade is drawn in. This combination 
of motions makes the puck rotate in a horizon- 
tal plane as it shoots through the air. The 
most effective shots are knee-high, driven with 
all the power possible. 

From these general considerations we turn 
to the details of the game. One great beauty 
of hockey is the lack of complicated rules, as 
there are really but two. The first is against 
offside play. Every player must endeavor to 
keep onside, that is, between the puck and his 



368 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

own goal, and no man shall be eligible to re- 
ceive a pass unless he is even with, or behind 
the man carrying the pnck at the time of the 
pass. The second rule is against rough play. 
In the rule-books attempts are made to classify 
and describe such offenses, but it all comes 
down to this: there shall be no unnecessary 
roughness, i. e., tripping, cross-checking, push- 
ing from behind, slugging and slashing with the 
stick. A multitude of other so-called tricks are 
not hockey; they should be strictly penalized 
in games and discountenanced in practice. 
There is only one thing that can prevent hockey 
from being widely recognized as one of our 
very finest sports, and that is rough, unsports- 
manlike play. There is great temptation, but 
wherever rough play has been tolerated hockey^ 
has lost prestige and popularity. 

As to the detail of position play, I can men- 
tion only a few general principles. The seven 
men that compose a hockey team may be classi- 
fied in two groups, four forward and three de- 
fense men. 

The forwards form a line across the rink. 
Each man has his territory and the success of 
the United States style of hockey depends on 
his confining his efforts to that territory. The 
right and left wings are responsible along the 
sides, near the boards ; the right and left cen- 
ters take their respective positions in the ter- 
ritory between. These four forwards theoret- 



HOCKEY 369 

ically should follow the puck up and down the 
rink, keeping always just on-side, each man 
constantly ready to receive a pass. The for- 
wards are primarily offensive, but they play 
a very vital part on the defense, in breaking up 
the opponents' attack, intercepting passes, 
checking attempts to dodge or jump through, 
and, most important of all, covering up their 
respective opponents in a scrimmage around 
the goal. 

There are three methods available to get by 
an opponent. The first is to dodge. This 
tends to the individual style of play that so 
often destroys team-work; but within limits, 
dodging, coupled with clever stick-work, is ex- 
tremely effective. The second, is to jump the 
puck through. That is, if you see an opening, 
a quick flip of the puck will often enable you 
to slip past the opponents' forwards, and be- 
fore they can turn you are clear. The third 
method is the surest and when perfectly exe- 
cuted is unbeatable. This is to pass by your 
opponent. The player with the puck advances, 
and pretends to dodge in the opposite direction 
from that in which he intends to pass. By that 
feint the opponent is drawn off his balance, the 
pass is made, and the player receiving the pass 
skates by unhindered. 

The play of the wings is hard work and re- 
quires good condition, for, aside from the 
bumps and bruises against the boards, the wing 



370 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

has more actual skating than any other player. 
He must be back in the very corners when the 
puck is behind his own goal, to assist his de- 
fense men in starting an attack. He must fol- 
low the puck well behind the opponents' goal, 
and yet be always ready to chase back if the 
opponents get away and start down the ice. If 
a team has wings that will keep out on the 
boards and up in line, it should have no diffi- 
culty in starting an attack, for without even 
looking one can slam the puck over to the 
boards knowing that the wing that is on the job 
can pick it up with a flying start. A wing car- 
rying the puck down the boards can often pass 
an opponent by caroming the puck off the 
boards and jumping around. A good wing, 
even if a football-player, will never attempt to 
jump between an opponent and the boards, for 
he is sure to be boxed. The wing should be a 
good shot and should be placed right or left 
according to whether he shoots with his right 
or his left hand down. Wing shots are danger- 
ous, but a pass in to an uncovered center is 
a more effective means of scoring than taking 
a wild chance unassisted. Wings should con- 
verge on the goal with an attack, and if the 
puck goes behind the opponents ' goal it is their 
duty to check and turn in attempts to carry it 
out. If they get the puck they should at once 
snap it back to their centers for a shot. 
The play of the two center forwards requires 



HOCKEY 371 

more skill and stick-work but is less strenuous. 
On the offensive they engage in the scrim- 
mages, dodge, jump through, and pass. When 
the puck is around the opponents ' goal, one cen- 
ter should be right in on the goal-tender on the 
lookout for rebounds off the goal's shins and 
ready to smash home a quick pass from his 
wings ; the other center should shadow the play 
from side to side, keeping clear of the scrim- 
mage, ready to receive a pass and drive it into 
the goal before he can be covered. On the de- 
fensive, the centers must cover up around their 
own goal; they need not try to get the puck 
out from their own territory, for that is up to 
the wings and defense men. 

To meet the dangers of a passing game the 
defense, point, and cover-point, play what is 
known as a parallel defense, as in this way the 
man with the puck and the man who is to re- 
ceive the pass are both covered at the same 
time. In an ordinary attack by two or three 
men, the cover-point takes his side in front of 
the man with the puck. If he happens to be 
playing far up the ice, he retreats, keeping free 
from the attack until he is in line with his point, 
that is, parallel with him. He then stops and 
takes the man with the puck. The point has 
singled out the man who is to receive the pass. 
As the player with the puck approaches the 
cover-point, he passes ; it is then an easy mat- 
ter for the point either to intercept the pass or 



372 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

check the opponent as he reaches for it. The 
parallel defense should meet the attack about 
forty feet in front of the goal. At this distance 
a shot from in front of the defense is not dan- 
gerous and a player attempting to circle will 
find himself out of angle for a shot. Although 
primarily designed to meet a passing game, this 
defense works equally well against a dodging 
attack. If the opponent with the puck attempts 
to dodge, it should be easy either to force him 
so far outside that his shot would not be dan- 
gerous, or if he attempt to slip between, a well 
timed convergence on the part of the defense 
men will stop his chances. If well executed, this 
defense is almost impregnable. The opponents 
are forced either to shoot before reaching the 
defense or circle and flip the puck out from be- 
hind. Point and cover-point readily alternate 
positions. In case of a scrimmage it is the 
point's primary duty to protect the territory 
immediately in front of the goal, as it is the 
duty of the cover-point to follow into the cor- 
ners and, with the help of the wings, get the 
puck out of the danger zone away down the ice. 
If it is more convenient at any time, the point 
may follow the puck, and that should be a sig- 
nal for the cover-point to protect in front of 
the goal. At no time should both defense men 
be on the same side of the goal. Their play is 
constantly parallel, for the possibility of a pass 
makes each side equally dangerous. 



HOCKEY 373 

A goal-tender is depended on to stop all rea- 
sonably long shots and should be chosen for 
that ability. To stop short shots from a scrim- 
mage in. front of the goal, or from an opponent 
skating in free, requires too much luck to be a 
fair test, and such occasions arise only from an 
error on the part of the forwards or defense. 
A goal-tender is in a position to see and appre- 
ciate the danger from uncovered opponents 
and should insist that his team-mates do their 
duty in covering up and at the same time that 
they stand out of line of his view of the puck. 
To judge a shot he must see the puck as it 
leaves the ice ; so it should never be out of his 
sight for an instant. Shots below the knee 
must be blocked off by the legs. The goal 
tender should get squarely in front of the shot 
and not lose a second in clearing the rebound 
to one side. Higher shots are best stopped 
with the hand. 

In this brief description of position and as- 
signment, I have followed out the style of play 
that has proved most practical for the players 
in the States. In Canada, where hockey and 
skating are second nature to the average boy, 
individual stars are developed whose remark- 
able stick-work and skating appear to warrant 
a sacrifice of team-play. Under these circum- 
stances, the player with the puck is allowed to 
roam all over the ice attempting to weave and 
dodge into position for a shot, only passing as 



374 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

a last resort. This style is very spectacular 
and gives those not engaged in the attack op- 
portunity to rest ; but it has been proved again 
and again that our teams, composed of com- 
paratively inferior players, by keeping their 
positions and sacrificing individuality to team- 
play, are a match for the best amateur teams 
across the border. 

The rapid development and present standing 
of hockey warrant the highest expectations for 
its future. Few games combine so many of the 
requirements of a perfect sport; few games 
combine mental and physical alertness in more 
nearly perfect proportions. To the spectator, 
hockey is full of fascination ; but to the player, 
the pure joy of the game exceeds that of any 
other sport. 



LAWN TENNIS 



A SERMON ON LAWN TENNIS 

BY JAMES DWIGHT 

Lawn tennis is a curious game. It simply 
consists in hitting a ball over a net and back 
again. Nothing else, except that you try to hit 
it as hard as you safely can, and to put it out 
of your opponent's reach. It sounds easy 
enough, and yet think how few can play well. 
You see people play for years, and play very 
little better at the end. This would be right 
and natural enough if they took no real interest 
in the game, but many of them do take real 
interest in it. 

In other games and sports it is not so. There 
seems to be no game that so many play and so 
few play well. Any ordinary man can learn to 
row, respectably at least, if he gives several 
years to it. Almost any boy can learn to play 
baseball. Most men with practice can learn to 
shoot pretty straight. 

And so on ; but with lawn tennis it is differ- 
ent. There the multitude are '' duffers; '' and 
'* duffers '' they remain all their lives. It is a 
few only who come forward out of the ranks. 

Why should this be so? For many reasons; 

377 



378 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

the game is not as easy as it looks. It is easy 
enough to hit the ball gently out of your hand 
over the net into some part of the opposite 
court, but it is not so easy to hit it hard and 
keep it in court. It has to go very close to the 
net to do that. Then again, it is not enough to 
hit it into any part of the court; it must be 
placed in some particular spot to gain any ad- 
vantage. It may be necessary to place it within 
a few inches of the side line. On top of all this, 
you may have to run at the top of your speed 
to reach the ball at all. 

All this does not sound so easy. Yet there is 
something more, the faculty of playing the right 
stroke every time. It comes to a very few men 
as an instinct. It comes to a larger number as 
the result of years of thought and practice. To 
the immense majority it never comes at all ; in 
fact, they do not know that such a faculty ex- 
ists. Even now we have not got through with 
the difficulties of the game. Eunning about the 
court is not easy work. The distance of each 
man is not great, nor need the speed always be 
high ; but you must start very quickly, almost, 
in fact, before you are sure where the ball is 
coming. It is really a succession of jumps, 
rather than a steady run. For this you need 
great quickness and agility, and, beyond all, 
great endurance. In other words, the game 
needs young men in good condition to play it 
well. On the other hand, it requires judgment 



A SERMON ON LAWN TENNIS 379 

and experience that usually come only later in 
life. 

Suck are some of the difficulties of the game ; 
and one does not wonder, as he thinks of them, 
that the game is not better played. Why, then, 
some one will ask, is the game so popular? 
Why do so many play it, if they know that they 
can never play it well? Because the *' duf- 
fers '' have just as good a time as the 
'' cracks." Sometimes I think that they have 
a better time, even, for with them it is all play ; 
with the better players it is serious work. 

I remember well the first time I ever played 
the game. It was at Nahant, in the summer of 
74. A set of lawn tennis had been brought 
over from England early in the summer; but 
we had taken no interest in it — too little, in- 
deed, to try it. At length one day we put up 
the net, marked out a rude court, and started, 
more in jest than earnest. In a few moments 
we were playing in earnest indeed. There was 
all the feeling of personal antagonism which is 
to me one of the great attractions of the game. 
My first opponent was Mr. F. R. Sears, an elder 
brother of the ex-champion. I remember that 
each won a game, and that in the afternoon we 
played in the rain in rubber coats and boots. 
How odd it would look now ! 

Of course we could not play much, but the in- 
terest was just as great. I fancy that one 
reason for the great popularity of the game lies 



380 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

in the fact that you do not need to play well to 
have a good time. You need only an opponent 
of about your own strength, so that there may 
be a continual struggle for the mastery. For 
this very reason, two players are apt to get into 
the habit of always playing together, and they 
naturally improve very slowly. Often they see 
no good play, they have the same ideas about 
the game as when they started, they have the 
same faults, because they know no better. 

I look to see much better lawn tennis in the 
future than exists at present. The game has 
been generally known in this country for about 
thirty years ; and it was first taken up largely 
by grown men, who had played rackets, or base- 
ball, or cricket. They learned all they could 
with no one to teach them, comparatively soon, 
and before this time have dropped out of active 
play because the exertion is beyond them. I 
am an example of the class myself; though I 
lasted longer than most, as I cared more for 
the game. 

Of course, all this time boys were learning to 
play, but very few of them turned out well. 
They learned as they chose; few of them 
wished for any teaching; fewer got it. So for 
a long time the older men were in front. 

There has now come another change, and in 
the right direction. The interest in games of 
all kinds has increased so much, and so much 
attention is devoted to training boys in the pre- 



A SERMON ON LAWN TENNIS 381 

paratory schools and afterward in college, that 
we have not only a very large class of trained 
athletes, but boys have learned how important 
good '' coaching '' is. They go into the game 
more earnestly than they nsed. Owing to the 
large number of tournaments, they see the best 
players, and they copy their styles. Each has 
some one whom he looks up to as a model of 
what good play should be. 

Now, too, they play in tournaments them- 
selves; and playing in public, they are more 
careful as to their faults and peculiarities than 
they used to be in private, for fear of seeming 
ridiculous. In this way they learn to play well 
at an earlier age than any class before them. 
Thus they have their agility and their knowl- 
edge of the game at the same time. Heretofore 
I used to say that the trouble with the game 
was, that few had brains enough to play it 
properly until they got too old to play it at all. 

This, I think, is no longer true; and the 
change is due to the improvement of the boys. 
For instance, I do not see any great improve- 
ment in the best players in the past few years, 
but among the middle-class players the im- 
provement is enormous. They are largely 
young players, and are still improving. The 
number, too, of good players has increased 
very much; and in the first class itself there 
are twice as many players as there were a few 
years ago. 



382 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

Tlie practical part of all this discussion is, 
** Can we do anything to help the advancement 
of young players? '* Something we can do: 
we can encourage tournaments between the dif- 
ferent schools, etc. The interscholastic tourna- 
ments held at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton are 
good examples. If any one doubts the value of 
this system, let him look at the success of the 
football competition between the different pre- 
paratory schools in training players for the 
colleges. 

By giving tournaments, we help the boys in 
several ways. They get used to matches, a very 
necessary thing. They get interested in the 
game, and their ambition is aroused. They see 
good play and good players; and they meet 
every variety of style, instead of having their 
practice confined to playing against one or two 
players only. 

This is surely good. Can we now add any 
preaching that can be of use? I hardly know; 
I look on preaching with great disrespect. Few 
listen, few believe you, and fewer still take the 
trouble to try to put the teaching into practice. 
There are, however, some general instructions 
so simple that it would seem folly to write 
them, if it were not that they are constantly 
lost sight of. 

Take a boy at the beginning. Probably he 
cannot get one of the most expensive rackets. 
It really does not matter. Some of the cheaper 



A SERMON ON LAWN TENNIS 383 

ones are practically as good, but it matters a 
great deal what sort of a cheap one he gets. 
Let him get one of fourteen or fourteen and a 
quarter ounces, a little lighter in the head than 
most rackets are made. Have nothing fancy- 
about it, no gold braid, no curious stringing, no 
fluted handle. It needs to be well balanced and 
well strung, and that is enough. As to flannels 
and shoes, there is nothing to be said, except 
that the shoe should be comfortable and solid 
enough to hold the foot together, else there is 
a good deal of danger of straining the foot. 

As to balls, I do not know what to say. Balls 
are very expensive, and last a very short time. 
A boy cannot expect to have new balls every 
day ; and if he is in earnest, and does not mind 
taking trouble in order to learn, the best thing 
that he can do is to practise with two or three 
balls only. They will need a good deal of 
chasing, but he will always have them in good 
condition. If he brings out a -boxful, they will 
all suffer more or less the first day, and he will 
have to use poor balls till he can get another 
box. It is a great mistake to use uncovered 
balls or last year's balls. Neither are of the 
slightest use. 

No advice can be given about courts. One 
must play on the best available. 

To begin with, the player may make up his 
mind that it will take a long time to play even 
tolerably well. ( The first thing to do is to learn 



384 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

to hit the ball straight — that is, with no side 
twist. The ball should go directly down the 
court. If the player stands on the central line, 
the ball should drop on the central line on the 
other side of the net. This is the very essence 
of a good stroke. If you can play straight, you 
can tell where the ball is going. If you have a 
curve on it, you will be constantly hitting out 
of court on the side, or else bringing the ball 
into the middle of the court when you intended 
it to go down the side line. 

Next in importance is the length of the court. 
You must learn to hit from one base line to the 
other; that is, to hit from the back of your 
own court and make the ball drop about a yard 
from the other base line. A moment's thought 
will show that if the ball goes only as far as the 
service line, your opponent can easily come for- 
ward to volley. 

These two points are the foundation of the 
game. 

As to the service, don't bother about it. A 
very fast service is terrible to bad players ; but 
good ones return it easily. Wait till you play 
fairly well before you try for a very fast serv- 
ice. Next comes the volley. Wait till you have 
brought the ground strokes under control be- 
fore you begin to practise much volleying. 
When you do begin, keep one point clearly in 
mind : you must always hit the ball. You must 
not let it hit your racket. The only exception 



A SERMON ON LAWN TENNIS 385 

is when you are close to the net ; then you may 
block the ball, if your opponent is far back. 
Don't try any wild ** smashing/' Hit quietly, 
but always hard. As a principle, never hit a 
ball easy; always make a real stroke. One 
word more. Don't play very long at a time. 
Three or four sets are enough. Always play 
with a better player if you can, and take odds 
enough to make him work as hard as he can. 
Win quietly; lose quietly; don't get angry. 



LAWN TENNIS 

BY BICHAED NOEEIS WILLIAMS, 2D 

But a very few years ago tennis was practi- 
cally unknown; the game naturally existed 
but interest in it was at its lowest ebb. Why 
and for what reason it has grown so rapidly 
since is impossible to say, but one of the great 
factors was the Davis Cup, presented to the 
U. S. N. L. T. A. by D. F. Davis for interna- 
tional competition. No history or article of 
any length can be written without mentioning 
this famous trophy; it is now the nucleus 
around which everything centers. 

The trophy was given in 1900 but at the time 
few paid much attention to it and certainly no 
one could predict the future which it has now 
attained. It was really not until 1902 that the 
public became interested in it. The previous 
year the Cup had been successfully defended 
against England, but in 1902 it is said that ten 
thousand people watched Whitman, Larned, 
Davis and Ward defend against the attack of 
Pim, E. F. and H. L. Doherty. The Americans 
were again successful that year, and aided by 
the great crowds that watched the matches, the 

386 



LAWN TENNIS 387 

game naturally was looked at with more favor. 
People started talking about it, and with the in- 
ternational flavor which it had received and the 
talk in the papers people began taking the game 
up with more earnestness. 

In 1903 the Davis Cup was lifted by the Eng- 
lishmen and was destined not to return for ten 
long years. The matches were played in Bos- 
ton on the famous grounds of the Longwood 
Cricket Club. England won by four matches to 
one, and the only match that we won was by de- 
fault, R. F. Doherty having injured his shoulder 
was unable to play. On paper it seems an 
overwhelming defeat, but all the matches were 
terribly close and, as one writer expresses it, 
** First it wavered one way, then another, and 
at times was exactly even (the two singles were 
going on at the same time), until not only the 
players but the gallery itself was worn to a 
frayed and jagged edge." 

In one way, however, our losing the Cup was 
a good thing. The next year's matches were 
played in England, and it naturally interested 
the Continental nations having the Cup played 
for in Europe. From that year the list of na- 
tions challenging increased every year. In 1905 
Australia challenged for the first time. Her 
team was composed of Brooks, Wilding, and 
Dunlop. She did not win that year, being de- 
feated by America's team, composed of Larned, 
Wright, and Ward, in the final. It is curious 



388 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

to note that the Australian team of 1905 is the 
very one that she proposes to send to America 
this year (1914) to challenge us for the Cup. 

In 1907 Australasia was at last successful 
and took the trophy from England. Her 
representatives defeated America (B. C. 
Wright and K. Behr) in the preliminary tie, 
and then defeated England, whose team was 
composed of A. W. Gore and H. Eoper-Barrett. 
During the time the Cup was in far-ofiP Aus- 
tralia international tennis was very much hand- 
icapped. It was too far away for many nations 
to send teams, the expense and time were 
considerable; only England and America re- 
mained true to the cause. They challenged 
every year, played each other in the prelimi- 
nary tie, and America (generally winning the 
tie) sent a team to Australia. Every year it re- 
turned, but without the Cup. At length in 1912 
America defaulted, no players being able to 
make the trip, and England, after having easily 
disposed of France, took the long voyage and 
a long chance at the Cup. Luck was with them, 
though, and on the 1st of December, 1912, the 
news was flashed over the wires that England 
had won the Cup. I do not mean to say that 
England won just because the luck was with 
them. J. C. Parke, the great Irishman, was the 
luck, for he it was who beat Brooks and made 
the 3-2 victory possible. The English may well 
be proud of their team, they did a big thing and 



LAWN TENNIS 389 

they deserved a great deal of credit. Their 
team was made up of Cap. C. P. Dixon, J. C. 
Parke, A. E. Beamish, and F. G. Lowe. Eng- 
land was not to hold the Cup, however, very 
long. In 1913 seven nations challenged, viz.. 
South Africa, Canada, Belgium, Germany, 
France, Australasia and America. Out of this 
long list of entries America came through suc- 
cessfully and challenged England. This time 
America regained the Cup. For ten years she 
had put teams in the field and every time her 
team had been defeated, but the Cup was at last 
to return to its native shores. The English 
team was composed of Captain McNair, C. P. 
Dixon, J. C. Parke, H. Eoper-Barrett, and A. 
W. Gore; and the American team of Capt. H. 
H. Hackett, M. E. McLoughlin, R. N. Will- 
iams, 2d, and W. F. Johnson. 

This short story of the Davis Cup is a good 
illustration of the growth of the game. At first 
it was but a match between England and Amer- 
ica, but gradually it developed into a cham- 
pionship of the world, with practically all the 
nations entering at one time or another. 

Among other circumstances which have con- 
tributed so much to the development of the 
game is the great interest shown by the younger 
men and the boys. There was a feeling preva- 
lent, and unfortunately it still prevails in some 
quarters, that tennis was but a *' girPs game.'' 
In one way this is very natural ; to the onlooker 



390 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

who has never endeavored to play the game it 
seems a perfectly easy thing to just bat a ball 
over and over again. Until that feeling had 
vanished tennis stood at a standstill; but for- 
tunately it was soon found out that athletic 
qualities were needed to be a tennis player. 
Men were then no longer ^' ashamed '' to play 
tennis and its success was assured. 

I have heard many discussions as to whether 
tennis is ^' born in a man " or not. I am sure 
I do not know, but whether it is born in a man 
or not, it must be developed and made to grow. 
I take it for granted that the reader has played 
the game for some time and knows the funda- 
mental points, for my object here is not to 
teach the beginner but to try to help the man or 
woman who has taken interest in the game and 
is anxious to go ahead. 

A thing that I have found of great help is to 
watch good players ; but try and watch a little 
with your head, too ; I mean by this, don't just 
watch the stroke and the ball, but try and see 
if you can fathom what the player is trying to 
do, that is, what his tactics are. See for your- 
self whether they are successful or not and why 
they are or are not! There is one great dan- 
ger, though, in watching, and that is that you 
will try to copy — never do that — -copy the 
idea if you think it is a good one, but don't copy 
the execution of the stroke. A man who copies 
a style will never get very high. Tennis is an 



LAWN TENNIS 391 

individual ** something " — that is the only 
way I can explain it. You must play your way 
and not the way some other person does it. I 
have seen many players who had the natural 
ability to play but who copied some favorite's 
style and remained in a rut. 

If he really has the desire to become a first- 
class player and has the backbone to do so, I 
really think that any person with a reasonable 
amount of ability can succeed. Even if he can- 
not make the ** first ten '' he can come very 
close to it. The only way to do this, however, 
is to map out a course for yourself and stick 
to it. It will be very long, but you must expect 
that. You cannot possibly learn how to play 
well in a few weeks. The first thing you must 
do is to give up all idea of winning, or even 
trying to win; for about two long years you 
must give up entirely to practice — practising 
shots and that is all. I am, of course, still talk- 
ing to the man who has had some experience 
and who can play fairly well but wishes to get 
much farther. 

When you are practising, however, don't lose 
your head, but always thinh. Don't practise 
your favorite shot — that won't help you much 
— but practise those shots which you try to 
** cover up " when you're playing a match — 
the shots you feel you are weakest in. Of 
course you can't always practise — sometimes 
you must have a good time — do that occasion- 



392 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

ally ; it will relieve your mind. Now when you 
are working at these shots don^t try to play 
them hard, but place the ball. Do it quietly, and 
by and by when you are sure you can put the 
ball any place you wish, you can gradually aug- 
ment the speed. But don 't worry about speed ; 
that will come of its own accord when you are 
able to put the ball with accuracy wherever you 
wish it. Be sure that your game does not get 
one-sided, that is, always playing from the back 
of the court or always at the net. You ^ must 
learn to play both about the same. You will of 
course have a natural inclination to play one 
better than the other — that will be your strong 
point — but don't neglect the other part. You 
must be able to fall back on that in case some- 
thing goes wrong with your favorite game. 

There are many small points on which it is 
impossible for me to give you any advice. 
These are, for example, how to hold your 
racket, how far from the face, how heavy it 
should be, how high you should throw the ball 
to serve; all these details you must find out 
for yourself; there is no rule, the individual 
must suit himself. If you are in trouble, how- 
ever, ask a friend who knows something about 
the game to watch you, and he will perhaps be 
able to detect some errors. There is one thing, 
though, I might say, and that is, do not get too 
heavy a racket; there is a tendency to get a 
fourteen and one-half ounce racket just because 



LAWN TENNIS 393 

so-and-so uses one. Don't be misled by that; 
a heavy racket makes your motions slow and 
you hit the ball too late. 

I should now like to say a few words concern- 
ing the service. Some years ago (about 1901) 
everybody was literally taken off his feet by 
the new service just then invented by D. F. 
Davis and H. Ward; it was what we now call 
the American twist service. I remember very 
well when, in 1905, H. Ward played H. L. Doh- 
erty in the Davis Cup (London). Ward liter- 
ally walked through Doherty for the first two 
sets. The score was perhaps close, but Ward 
always held the upper hand. As A. Wallis 
Myers, the well known English player and 
writer, puts it, ** It was like nothing ever seen 
in the center court before or since! *' I hap- 
pened to have a seat near the umpire's chair, 
and as '^ H. L." changed sides I heard him say, 
^* I can't play against this man! " and then 
Ward went absolutely to pieces and ** H. L.'' 
ran out 6-1, 6-2, 6-0 — a cruel ending to such 
a match. What was the cause f The service is 
too nerve-racking and exhausting. Ward could 
not keep it up and he lost out in the long run. 
I do not mean to advise against a twist serve, 
for now it is slightly moderated and not so ex- 
hausting, but it is much more so than the ordi- 
nary fast, well-placed serve, and then it is a 
very hard serve to play well. That is one of 
its great disadvantages, and if not well played 



394 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

it is a very easy service to return. To sum up, 
I might say that the twist serve is a very fine 
implement of war, but a very hard one to ac- 
quire, and very disastrous for the owner if it is 
not well used. A very extraordinary service is 
really not an essential; by this I mean, you 
don't need a very fast or a very twisted serv- 
ice. The object of a serve is not so much to 
win a clean ace, as so many people think, but 
to place your opponent in an unfavorable posi- 
tion so that you can win on his return. You 
must not look at the service as one terrific first 
serve in the hopes of making an ace, and then 
a second serve, ** just get it over any old 
way! " Your object in serving is to get into 
position, in a position to command the rest of 
the play, and a slow but well-placed serve can 
do this for you. If you have speed, all the 
better, but often even the best players get so 
engrossed in speed that they forget about pla- 
cing the ball, and speed without placing is prac- 
tically useless against a first-class player. 

We may now take up for a few moments the 
*' base-line " and *' volleying " game. Years 
ago, when the game first started, everybody 
without exception played from the back of the 
court, but gradually men began going to the 
net, and when Davis and Ward invented the 
twist service, there was a great tendency to 
** rush " the net all the time. The tendency 
now is to combine both and this is what we 



LAWN TENNIS 395 

might call the modern game. The question will 
probably be asked : When should you go to the 
net and when stay back? Of course the old 
school of base-liners like S. H. Smith and A. W. 
Gore would say go to the net only when forced, 
and the great net-players, like B. C. Wright 
and N. E. Brooks, would say, ^ * Stay back only 
when forced." It is really impossible to an- 
swer that question on paper — conditions must 
dictate the process. The ideal would be to 
manoeuver from the base-line, prepare your 
shot, then go up to the net and finish the point. 
The practical process, however, is first think 
and find out what kind of a player your oppo- 
nent is. If he is a great volleyer, take the net 
away from him ; if a great base-line player, try 
to beat him from the base-line and the net. In 
the latter case it is much harder than in the 
former, for in the first place, when you take the 
net and stay there, your opponent is unable to 
go to the net and he will find himself in deep 
water. In the second place, however, you can- 
not take possession of the back court of your 
opponent. This is the time to show head-work. 
You must change your game all the time — 
keep your man guessing — first play short 
shots — then long ones — stay in the back 
court, then storm the net. This back court 
game has played havoc with many an American 
player — just look back on S. H. Smith's record 
in the Davis Cup matches against our men, .it 



396 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

is far better than either of the Dohertys. I 
don't think that his game would be so disas- 
trous to-day, for we have learned the lesson, 
but in those days we never thought of playing 
the base-line, and the net was the only game we 
knew, and when that went back on us we had 
no drives to fall back on. I believe the way to 
beat this base-line game is to put as much vari- 
ation in your game as possible, being at the net 
about three-fourths of the time. In. this way 
your opponent won't get time to get into his 
machine-like passing shots. The object is of 
course to ** cut up " his game, for a driving 
game is a clock-like game, which if broken up 
will go all to pieces. Be careful, however, not 
to be beaten just by a reputation. To illus- 
trate, let us suppose your opponent is known 
for his net game. Just don't start rushing the 
net without finding out if he is not perhaps 
playing that very day a better base-line game 
than a volleying game. This often happens; 
a man can very well lose his regular style for 
a day and play an entirely different game. 

There is still one other thing I should like to 
mention, and that is effective volleying. I 
have seen many good players go to the net and 
have opportunity after opportunity to finish 
the point and yet not be able to do it. In a 
single, when at the net you should hardly ever 
volley more than twice. I mean that you 
must finish the point at least on the second re- 



LAWN TENNIS 397 

turn made by your opponent. When at the net, 
you should command the situation. Your vol- 
leys must be either very short or very long. 
Never volley into the middle of the court, your 
opponent can get it too easily ! Do not let your 
opponent outplay you when you command the 
situation, it is demoralizing. When you have 
the chance take the risk, but finish the point 
whatever you do ! 

Before I close, there are a few facts that I 
should like to mention concerning tennis in 
general. When smashing, try jumping off the 
ground a little. M. E. McLoughlin, the best 
smasher in the country and probably in the 
world, always leaves the ground some four or 
five inches, and sometimes more. If you have 
acquired a good smash, of course, stick to it, 
but if you are not satisfied, try this ** stunt," 
it might help you ; I personally believe it to be 
a very good idea. 

In general when you take shots off the 
ground, try standing in close — that is, take 
the ball when it is still rising or anyway at 
the top of its bounce. It is a very hard thing 
to ** get on to " but if once acquired will help 
you more than anything. If you wait too long 
and take the ball when it is dropping you give 
your opponent enough time to take command 
of the situation, and you will be standing far 
back of the base-line, which leaves all the serv- 
ice court open and gives your opponent the op- 



398 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

portunity to play a short shot and ^ * get ' ' you. 
You will probably find that you will have a 
tendency not to stand in close enough — but 
remember that you must stand in near or not at 
all, there is no half way in this sort of play. 
If you observe, you will probably find that the 
best players are gradually adopting this style ; 
but it is new and many people will probably 
advise you not to do it. Stick to it, however, 
you will win out at the end and you will prob- 
ably find that it is much easier to take a swift 
or a twist service from this position than from 
the old one when you are forced way out of the 
court. 

I also advise practising against a wall; it is 
good training for the eye and makes you quick 
on your feet, which is of course a great advan- 
tage. I am also very much in favor of training 
— train hard when you are in matches ; that is, 
keep regular hours for meals and go to bed 
regularly. Sleep at least ten hours. But get 
to bed early, say at ten-thirty, and get up at 
eight-thirty. You must do it to play your best. 
Just think; to play well, your eye must be true, 
your arms sure, you must be quick on your feet, 
practically every muscle of your body is in use 
and all this must work together to play well; 
if one is out of order everything goes wrong. 



SWIMMING 



SWIMMING 

The introduction of the crawl stroke has 
revolutionized swimming as a competitive 
sport. The principle of this stroke is so simple 
in its application and lends itself so readily to 
adoption by boys of almost any physique that 
there are to-day hundreds of boys swimming 
the crawl with speed who would have found the 
old trudgeon and side-arm strokes hard to 
master. A thorough understanding of the the- 
ory of this stroke is such material aid in learn- 
ing it that I am going briefly to run over the 
history of the crawl, and show why it is better 
as a racing stroke than any other. 

There is a story of its origin which, whether 
true or not, illustrates so well the principle on 
which the stroke is based that it will bear re- 
peating here. One of the Cavill brothers, all of 
whom were great swimmers, agreed to win an 
important race with his feet tied tightly at the 
ankles. To his great surprise and to that of 
the spectators, he not only won the event but 
made faster time than he had ever accomplished 
before. With his feet tied as they were, he 
naturally could not make the scissors kick of the 
trudgeon, and so he had allowed them to drag 

401 



402 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

aimlessly behind. The result of this race set 
Cavill thinking. He gave up the trudgeon 
stroke for short distances and swam without 
using his feet at all. Now he noticed that his 
feet had a tendency to sink a little below the 
surface of the water and retard him, but that 
by rapidly paddling his feet up and down with 
the motion confined to the leg below the knees, 
his feet floated near the surface and his whole 
body sank less in the water and at the same 
time the paddling gave him a steady forward 
drive. This was a brilliant athletic discovery, 
and the crawl stroke soon began to work its 
way into important swimming contests. At 
first it was supposed to be very tiring and so 
only adapted to short races, but as swimmers 
learned its possibilities, they modified its ac- 
tion to suit any distance, until to-day no one 
speaks of the crawl as exhausting. 

The theory on which the success of the crawl 
stroke depends lies in the lessened resistance 
which the water offers to the body when the 
body is extended at full length on the surface. 
The propelling power comes chiefly from the 
hands and arms, which are used exactly as 
in the double overhand or trudgeon stroke. 
Some speed is gained by the rapid paddle of 
the feet, but the purpose of this paddling is 
primarily to keep the legs and feet near the 
surface and out of the water as much as possi- 
ble. As the whole success of this stroke de- 



SWIMMING 403 

pends upon the lessened resistance, it is evident 
that anything which presents more than the 
minimum surface to the water decreases the 
effectiveness of the stroke. So in swimming 
the crawl, we guard against drawing the legs 
up at the hip or lifting the head out of the 
water in a way which will increase the surface 
resistance. 

If the boy in learning the crawl will bear this 
principle in mind, he will find it an easy stroke 
to master. It lends itself readily to individual 
modifications. In fact there are as many ways 
of '^ crawling '' as there are swimmers using 
it, just as there are strides and styles of run- 
ning, and coaches have learned that it is not 
necessary or wise to make their pupils conform 
to a set style. A few points only must not be 
forgotten. The body should lie easily and 
loosely in the water; the paddle of the feet, 
while it may be adjusted to individual condi- 
tions, should not become so wide as to form an 
angle of resistance; and most important, the 
pull with the arms should be straight from the 
shoulder, a free, clean drive, not a wavering 
zig-zagging stroke. The manner of breathing 
is important. In the early days it was usual 
to swim with the head under water and hold 
the breath as long as possible. It is now cus- 
tomary to breathe as frequently as the swimmer 
desires. He does this by merely turning the 
head to one side and breathing out under the 



404 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

arm which has just finished its stroke. This 
trick, although it is hard to learn at first, is 
desirable because it does not stop the progress 
of the body as does taking the head entirely 
out of the water. 

The boy who wishes to be good in racing 
should learn to start fast and to take the turns 
well. Both can be learned only by practice. 
The start should be a hard spring and a long 
shallow dive. Many beginners make the mis- 
take of diving too deep and then, in their rush, 
starting their stroke before the surface of the 
water is reached. Both are equally disastrous 
to a good start. The swimmer should plan to 
get as far as he can on his spring, just to 
cleave the water's surface and start swimming 
the instant the hands reach the surface and not 
an instant sooner. 

In racing in a tank, the turn is very impor- 
tant. It takes hours and hours of practice to 
learn to turn well. The principal things to bear 
in mind are to judge the distance of the turn 
correctly, and not turn before the end can be 
touched; to place the hand squarely against 
the end of the tank; to draw the feet as high 
up as possible so that the turn is made as 
nearly as can be in the plane of the surface; 
and to make a hard shove by placing both feet 
squarely against the end. In turning, as in the 
starting dive, swimming should not be com- 
menced until the hands are at the surface. 



SWIMMING 405 

Learning to swim should be a part of every 
boy's education. It adds so much to his health, 
happiness, and safety that it cannot well be neg- 
lected. With the building of large numbers of 
municipal, Y. M. C. A., school, club, and college 
swimming pools, it is a rare boy who has not 
the opportunity to learn to swim. During the 
past year or two the Y. M. C. A.'s through 
many new swimming pools have been teaching 
thousands of boys to swim. In Boston, seven 
thousand boys were taught the crawl in only a 
few weeks' time. By the use of ** water- 
wings " boys who had never swum a stroke 
learned the crawl in three or four lessons. This 
stroke is so similar to the ** dog paddle " in 
the ease with which it can be mastered, and so 
striking in its results that boys pick it up in an 
amazingly short time. With swimming so 
easily learned and opening such vistas of sport 
and recreation, to say nothing of the protec- 
tion of life, can any boy afford not to know 
how to swim? 



THE AET OF SWIMMING 

BY HAEEY EOSE 

Swimming is an art so manly, so graceful, 
and so useful, that no one ever regrets the 
trouble of learning. And every one can learn, 
unless lie be physically infirm or naturally a 
coward. 

Dr. Franklin truthfully said: '^ The only ob- 
stacle to the acquirement and improvement in 
this necessary and life-preserving art is fear.'' 
The coward had better stay out of the water. 
He is safer on land. But he is not necessarily 
a coward who is afraid to plunge boldly into 
unknown water. Such a reluctance is natural; 
the best swimmer, unless he be foolhardy, 
would not do that. Some of the best swimmers 
have learned in shallow creeks, have practised 
alone until skilled, and then polished their self- 
education in deep water. 

The first lesson should be taken in a tideless 
river or quiet stream, the depth of which you 
have previously studied. On entering the 
water, wet your head and neck thoroughly, and 
before submerging the body stand for a few 
minutes knee-deep. 

Having fixed your eye on a favorable spot, 

406 



THE ART OF SWIMMING 407 

advance into the stream until breast-high. Now 
face the shore, and prepare for striking out. 
Lie gently on your breast, keeping head and 
neck upright, breast distended, and back bent 
inward. Withdraw the legs from the bottom, 
and immediately strike them out, not down- 
ward, but horizontally ; strike forward with the 
arms simultaneously with the feet, holding the 
hands like the blade of an oar when in action, 
fingers closed, the thumb placed by the side of 
the first finger, a little below the surface ; draw 
them back again while gathering up the legs 
for a second attempt; and thus push forward, 
making use of the hands and feet alternately. 
The farther forward you reach, the faster you 
will swim. The secret of a good stroke is to 
kick out with the legs wide apart. The propell- 
ing power is secured by the legs being brought 
from a position in which they are placed wide 
apart to one in which they are close together, 
like the blades of a pair of scissors. In this 
position the heels should touch each other; and 
in drawing up the legs, the toes should be 
pointed backward to avoid the resistance of 
the water against the insteps. 

It may happen that you will swallow water 
in your first efforts; but this should not dis- 
courage you, neither should the fancy that be- 
cause you make but little advance you are not 
capable of learning to swim. Every beginner 
has his mishaps, no matter what, the art. 



408 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

Some lads will learn to swim * * dog-fashion ' * 
quicker than any other style; and while it is 
not at all graceful, it gradually leads into the 
smooth, even, scientific breast-stroke, and 
therefore should hardly be discouraged. Every 
boy, of course, knows that '* dog-fashion " is 
that frantic motion of the hands 'and legs like 
a large paddle-wheel, in which more bluster and 
foam than headway are made; and every boy 
likes to swim '' dog-fashion " occasionally, 
often just to '^ show off,'' or to imitate some 
friend not so far advanced as himself. But, 
'' dog-fashion " swimmer, don't let such mim- 
ics dishearten you ; keep right on, and soon you 
will master the breast-stroke as we have de- 
scribed it, and by studying some of the tricks 
in this article, you may soon have the laugh on 
your mockers. 

Having mastered the breast-stroke, which is 
adapted to long-distance leisurely swimming, 
the next movement is the side-stroke; it may 
be the left or right. You can accomplish it by 
shooting the right arm forward, while the left, 
like an oar, is forcing the water back, and the 
legs are propelling the body onward. This 
stroke, which is a powerful one, will move you 
on like clock-work, and for long-distance, mod- 
erately fast swimming is excellent. 

Then follows the alternate right-hand, left- 
hand movement, or the overhand-stroke. This 
is perhaps the most graceful and convenient of 



THE ART OF SWIMMING 409 

all. In reaching forward, the arms are alter- 
nately brought out of the water, and then 
curved so that the tips of the fingers enter 
again directly in front of the head. This move- 
ment can be made very graceful by daintily 
skimming the palm along the surface, and 
merely dipping the water before it disappears. 
Advancing the right and left sides of the body 
alternately, secures greater continuity of mo- 
tion and materially reduces the friction; in 
conjunction with the powerful propulsion of 
the legs, it sends you along with the speed of 
a fish. As it is very swift, so it is very exhaust- 
ing; it is, therefore, best adapted to racing, 
say fifty or one hundred yards. 

I once saw Dennis F. Butler, the ex-cham- 
pion of America, finish a seven-mile race 
against the tide with this overhand-stroke ; and 
he did it in a peculiar manner. With every dip 
of the arm his head would go under water; 
and thus he lolled, yet fairly plunged for the 
goal, taking breath every time he turned on his 
sides. 

The boy aspirants to racing honors will do 
well to practise this movement diligently. 

Back performances are more easily learned 
than those on the breast, and floating is quite 
simple. 

Turn yourself over on your back, as gently 
as possible, elevate your breast above the sur- 
face, put your head back, so that your eyes, 



410 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

nose, and chin only are above water. Keep in 
this position with the arms and legs extended, 
the latter perfectly rigid. Now, move the hands 
from right to left horizontally, fast or slow as 
you choose, and you will find yourself buoyed 
up and gradually moving along. If you wish 
to make greater speed or swim on your back, 
begin to work your legs, precisely as in breast 
swimming, taking care not to lift the knees too 
high nor to sink your hips and sides too low. 
Keep yourself as straight as possible. You are 
now progressing finely — getting along easily 
and speedily. If your arms grow tired, lay 
them on your breast, but keep the legs going; 
thus you can rest your arms ; if your legs tire, 
let them remain quiet, and renew work with 
your hands. Thus alternating, you will find 
yourself able to cover a long distance without 
fatigue. 

Just at this stage of progress you will be anx- 
ious to dive. There is great sport in this ; but 
it requires practice to dive ** cleanly. '* 

Diving may be performed from the surface 
of the water, when swimming, by merely turn- 
ing the head downward, and striking upward 
with the legs. It is, however, much better to 
leap in, with the hands closed above the head, 
and the head foremost, from a pier, boat, or 
raised bank. The proper attitude for a 
*' clean " dive — which means without splash- 
ing more than the sharp cut of the hands — is 



THE ART OF SWIMMING 411 

to place the hands over the head, close together, 
give a sudden spring, and descend through the 
air, heels together and body perfectly stiff. 
Your hands will cleave the way for your body, 
protecting your head, and you will pass be- 
neath the surface just like the inimitable bull- 
frog, the master-diver. 

By striking with the feet, the same as in 
swimming, and keeping the head toward the 
bottom, you can drive yourself to a consider- 
able depth. 

If you wish to reach the surface, turn your 
head upward and work your hands, up and 
down; you will ascend like a flash. 

To turn under water, merely swim in which- 
ever direction you wish. 

Some swimmers prefer to keep their eyes 
open while beneath the surface; I do not con- 
sider it wise, as the strain is great, and often 
foreign substances in the water are liable to 
injure the eyeball. Of course, if you dive for 
an object at the bottom, you will need to open 
your eyes to find it ; at other times I advise you 
to keep them closed. 

Swimming under water is accomplished by 
the ordinary stroke, but take care to keep your 
head a little downward and strike a little 
higher with your feet than when swimming on 
the surface. 

Perhaps as easy a way as any of learning to 
swim under water is by beginning, in shallow 



412 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

water, simply to sink below the surface of the 
water. This can be done by letting the air es- 
cape from the lungs, so that they lose their 
power of buoyancy. The beginner, having no 
fear of being unable to reach terra firma, will 
learn far quicker in this way to be at home 
beneath the surface than if he attempts to swim 
at the outset. When once confidence is gained, 
all that remains is to learn the trick of staying 
below the surface when the lungs are inflated. 

If you have successfully practised these les- 
sons, you are familiar with the three essential 
elements of swimming, and in prime condition 
to study a few tricks. 

** Treading water *' is a fine feat. To tread 
without the use of the hands, work your feet 
up and down, precisely as though ascending a 
flight of stairs, only with more speed and stead- 
iness. You will find this very simple, and often- 
times you can stand where the water is a 
fathom deep and by treading hold the hands 
high over the head, and make the uninitiated 
suppose you to be on the bottom. In this posi- 
tion, also, you can walk a considerable distance, 
when you are expert. If you want to ease your 
legs, put your arms under, and work them hori- 
zontally right and left, as in floating. 

The feat of breast- swimming without the use 
of hands requires strength in the legs and back. 
At best, but a short distance can be made in 
this way. The same may be said of swimming 



THE ART OF SWIMMING 413 

without the use of the legs. But it is well to 
practise both of these movements — they may 
save your life in the event of cramp or accident. 

To show the feet while floating, bend the 
small of the back downward, support yourself 
by moving your hands to and fro just above 
your breast, and stretch your feet above the 
water. Now, if you wish to swim on your back, 
feet-foremost, make precisely the same stroke 
as in breast- swimming. 

To swim with one hand out of the water, say 
the right, turn on the left side, and vigorously 
use that arm, and the legs. 

If you wish to turn while on your back, keep 
one leg still, and embrace the water beside you 
with the other; you will thus find yourself 
turning to that side on which your leg by its 
motion embraces the water, and you will turn 
to the right or left according to which leg you 
use in this manner. 

There are a variety of feats performed by 
expert swimmers ; such as floating on the back 
with the arms above the surface; taking the 
left leg in the right hand out of the water when 
swimming on the back; pulling the right heel 
by the right hand toward the back, when swim- 
ming in the common way; throwing somer- 
saults in the water, backward and forward, etc., 
for which no particular directions are neces- 
sary, as you will be able to do them and any 
tricks which your fancy may suggest. 



414 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

A few hygienic hints for swimmers will 
surely not be out of place here. 

Do not bathe too soon after eating; an inter- 
val of an hour and a half at least, should be 
allowed. Do not bathe when tired out, either 
mentally or physically — always wait till you 
feel rested. The best time is in the forenoon, 
between breakfast and luncheon. 

If overheated on arriving at the water, do 
not remove your clothes until the excessive 
feeling of heat has passed, and your breathing 
and circulation have become regular; never 
expose the skin to the direct action of the air 
when overheated. 

Keep in motion after you have gone into the 
water; do not stand around chatting and 
lounging. As soon as you have swum suffi- 
ciently, dry yourself thoroughly, put on your 
clothes, and keep the blood in circulation by 
exercise. 

Do not stay in the water too long — half an 
hour is long enough for the strongest man. 
More delicate persons will find that too much; 
for some, ten minutes should be the limit. Fif- 
teen minutes is a good average for all. 

If seized with cramp, endeavor not to be 
alarmed, but strike out vigorously with the af- 
fected limb, or, turning on the back, extend it 
forcibly into the air. By paddling with the 
hands you can easily reach shore, or keep 
afloat until aissistance is rendered. 



THE ART OF SWIMMING 415 

And, never, never '' duck '' your weaker 
brother. The poor fellow might take fright, 
and never again essay to learn; besides, you 
might accidentally drown him. 

In conclusion: if you have followed these 
suggestions, not merely mentally, but in the 
*' aqueous element," as the student would say, 
you will have become dexterous swimmers, and 
soon shall be able to join Byron in this stanza : 

" How many a time have I 
Cloven with an arm still lustier, breast more daring, 
The wave all roughened; with a swimmer's stroke 
Flinging the biUows back from my drench'd hair, 
And, laughing, from my hp the audacious brine, 
Which kiss'd it, like a wine-cup, rising o'er 
The waves as they arose, and prouder still 
The loftier they uplifted me." 



SPORT IN THE WATER 

BY ALEXANDER BLACK 

Any one who has ever seen a tub race — and 
those who have not may be assured that they 
have missed one of the funniest sights in the 
world — will remember the screams of laughter 
and little shrieks of momentary fear that come 
from the spectators when the first conspicuous 
tub turns wrong side up, and dumps its occu- 
pant head-first into the water. For the mo- 
ment, it seems to those of the audience who are 
unskilled in swimming as if the overturned 
racer were certain to drown. But very soon 
his head pops up through the foam, the tub is 
righted, and, if the racer is skilful, the uncer- 
tain craft is manned again. By and by the 
spectators begin to realize, if they never have 
before, that there is really no danger that any 
one will drown, and every new mishap brings 
more laughter and fewer sounds of fright. 

In fact, while it is easy for everybody to think 
of sport on the water, a comparatively small 
number are able fully to appreciate the idea of 
sport in the water. The seaside bather cannot 
be said to know what water sport means; for 

416 



SPORT IN THE WATER 417 

the seaside bather, in many cases, does not 
know how to swim. Only those who know how 
to swim can really know what water sport is; 
for only these can know what it is to be free, 
safe, and ** at home ^' in the water. 

Probably water sports are as old as any 
other kind of sports. The very fish in the 
depths of the lake, in the shallows of the brook, 
or in the clear green depths of the sea, are con- 
tinually giving a hint of the gayety that is to 
be found in the water. Life under water has 
many amusements. Seals have set games that 
they romp in, day after day, when the weather 
is inviting. Naturalists tell wonderful stories 
of the fishes and of those animals who can get 
along very comfortably both in and out of the 
water. And does anybody suppose that the 
boys of antiquity did not follow the sportive 
example of the light-hearted frog? 

Among wild people living near any sort of 
deep water, there have always been water 
games. Indian boys were experts in various 
contests and festivals in the water, and some 
of the South Sea Island boys seem to get along 
about as well in the water as out of it. 

Tub-racing, which is a very old sport, is to 
be classed with sports in the water, like swim- 
ming, rather than with sports on the water, 
like rowing or sailing; for it is understood 
that the tubs turn over a good deal, and that 
cleverness at swimming and manoeuvering in 



418 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

the water will come into play. And of course 
tub-racing gets its main excitement and fun not 
so much from the mere progress of the tubs as 
from the continual chance of accident — that 
is, the comical accident of the racer's plunge 
into the water. 

Somebody who understood how much delight 
was to be had from the make-believe danger of 
this kind of accident, as well as from other ab- 
surd intentional blunders, invented the modern 
water circus. For there is such a thing as a 
water circus, a circus with a ring — but a ring 
of water instead of sawdust. 

Away back in the old Eoman days the water 
circus was a wonderful affair. Arenas would 
be flooded, and naval battles would be fought 
between great galleys for the amusement of 
the emperor and the people. Things are not 
on quite so vast or serious a scale now, how- 
ever; and the water circus, as it is seen in 
Europe to-day, is but one of the features of an 
ordinary circus. But, the American reader will 
ask, how can a water circus be part of an or- 
dinary circus! Can they flood the ring! And 
even if they did, would it be deep enough for 
any kind of water sport? The fact is, that they 
do not flood an ordinary ring, which would not 
hold more than an ankle-deep puddle ; but this 
is the way it is done : 

When that point in the circus program 
that is set for the beginning of the water show 



SPORT IN THE WATER 419 

has been successfully reached, a small army of 
clowns and ' ^ supers ' ^ begin dragging into the 
arena sections of an iron tank, which, amid 
much ludicrous play on the part of the clowns, 
is fitted together in the ring, before the eyes 
of the amused and expectant audience. The 
pieces lock tightly together, and a huge roll of 
rubber that is tumbled into the circle with many 
comical struggles and mishaps, is spread out 
to make the bottom of the lake thoroughly 
water-tight. When this has been done, a 
bridge, generally with a double arch and a cen- 
tral platform, which has been suspended over- 
head with the trapeze bars and other circus 
paraphernalia, is lowered to the little lake and 
duly fits into its place. 

On one side of the ring — now the lake — a 
series of embankments rise to the musicians' 
gallery. At the proper moment, generally 
when the attention of the audience is directed 
to the final preparations in the circle below, 
there is a gush of water from under the gallery, 
and a fine cascade splashes its way over the em- 
bankments down to the now completed tank. 
Generally somebody screams at the first roar 
of the water; then everybody joins in shouts 
and stampings of applause at the sight of the 
waterfall, which dances and sparkles and splut- 
ters in the rays of the electric light. The cas- 
cade is, indeed, one of the great features of the 
show ; for the electric glare changes in hue, 



420 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

until the bubbling torrent, from seeming like a 
flood of very green sea-water, turns to a crim- 
son and then to a golden shower, and is once 
more foaming white again. 

And then, while the water is splashing, and 
the people are laughing and chattering, and the 
band is performing with great energy, the 
clowns toss several screaming ducks into the 
lake, which is, of course, in a very turbulent 
state, and gives the ducks a good deal to do 
for a little while. Very soon, however, the 
ducks make themselves at home, and the spec- 
tators take as much interest in seeing the fowl 
swim about as if the sight really were very 
novel indeed. 

"When once the tank is quite filled, a decided 
change comes over the scene. A skiff contain- 
ing a young man and a young woman — who is 
much afraid of the water — makes its appear- 
ance, the young man rowing with an air of 
conscious elegance and dexterity. A group of 
dancers comes skipping over the bridge to the 
jaunty strains of the band. Various pictur- 
esque promenaders follow the dancers. Then 
a delightfully solemn, matter-of-fact squire 
makes his appearance, fishing-pole in hand, and 
casts a line with every sign of lively expectancy. 
Presently he has a most extraordinary bite, one 
of those bites that you read about in the fish- 
story column of the newspaper. The squire, 
amusingly bewildered, tugs at the pole, and 



SPORT IN THE WATER 421 

raises what seems to be a tremendous fish, 
whose struggles spatter the occupants of the 
skiff, and completely destroy the self-posses- 
sion of the squire. 

While things are at this crisis, the spirit of 
mischief seems to break loose. Some mischief- 
makers who appear on the bridge complete the 
squire's anxiety by knocking his hat into the 
water; and very soon the fisherman himself 
manages to tumble in, pole, line, fish, and all. 
A country woman with a basket, who is solicit- 
ous about the squire's fate, falls with a great 
splash, and so does a dude, who has been 
shocked to discover that his shoes are wet. 
Matters are considerably jumbled in this way 
when a policeman appears on the scene. The 
policeman wears beneath his uniform a rubber 
suit which has been inflated to a wonderful size. 
He wobbles upon the bridge, looking about with 
great concern and indignation, asking what all 
this means. In his efforts to restore order or 
rescue somebody, he shares the fate of the 
others, bouncing into the lake in a manner so 
absurd as to excite fresh screams of laughter 
from the audience. The people in the water, 
discovering how buoyant the fat policeman is, 
at once seize upon him as a life-preserver, and 
the dude actually clambers astride of the portly 
figure, while the spectators laugh until the tears 
come. When the skiff has been overturned, 
and everything in the water is in a state of the 



422 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

liveliest confusion, a great spurt of water rises 
througli the center of the bridge, the spray of 
the sudden and graceful fountain is lighted by- 
flashes of colored fire, and the water circus is 
at an end. 

I think it will appear to be quite natural that 
the water circus should be very popular. It 
has already appeared in this country, though 
not to the extent it has been given in Europe. 
It will probably become more popular with us 
as time goes on, though perhaps an entertain- 
ment in which so many actors have to run the 
risk of colds and rheumatism may not be con- 
sidered very promising in our climate. 

But if this should be an objection, why is it 
that the latest and most popular of our water 
games is played almost wholly in winter? I 
am speaking of water polo, which within a few 
years has been growing in favor, until it is now 
one of the most cordially welcomed of all our 
sports. Temperature has, of course, a great 
deal to do with a game that is pursued in the 
costume of the swimmer. In the swimming- 
tanks of athletic clubs or gymnasiums, the tem- 
perature of the water can be regulated, and 
the temperature of the air can be brought up to 
the warmth of what has been called the ^* Turk- 
ish bath " atmosphere. There is no reason 
why the same conditions cannot be supplied in 
summer, when the air is naturally warm, and 
the water in a tank, without artificial heating. 



SPORT IN THE WATER 423 

would soon be sufficiently warm. Undoubtedly 
there has been, hitherto, little water polo in 
summer, because in the warm season outdoor 
sports of another kind tempt the athlete. Lake, 
river, and deep-sea swimming lure him away 
from the narrow dimensions of a tank. But as 
water polo gains in popularity, and begins to 
take rank as something more than a game to 
be played indoors and in winter, when other 
forms of athletic sports are comparatively in- 
accessible, it is less likely to be set aside in the 
summer season. Indeed, water polo is continu- 
ally on the increase as a summer sport. 

Our American water polo is simply football 
played in the water. It might seem more out 
of place to use the term football in a water 
game which does not permit the kicking of the 
ball, if modern football had not done away with 
a great deal of the kicking that once seemed 
the special characteristic of the game. The fact 
that football has, paradoxically, become so 
much of a hand game, makes it much more 
feasible than it once might have been to trans- 
fer the game to the water. 

Water polo is not yet an exact science, either 
as regards the manner of the game or the place 
where it is played. There is much difference 
of opinion as to the proper size of the tank in 
which it should be played. Some players hold 
to a deep tank, in which everybody would have 
to swim throughout the game. Others are 



424 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

much in favor of a tank with a uniform depth 
of ^ve feet or thereabouts, so that the player 
could stand when swimming was not demanded. 
Most of the games thus far have been played 
in the regular athletic club tanks. These are 
four or five feet deep at one end, and increase 
in depth toward the other end, until there they 
hold six feet or more of water. Unless special 
water polo tanks are constructed, indoor 
games will probably continue to be played in 
the tanks that are comparatively shallow at one 
end — although four feet of water is not to be 
despised in the opportunities it gives the swim- 
mer. 

A water polo team consists of six men, who 
are organized on the same general plan as a 
football team. Thus, there is a center rush, 
two end-rushers, a halfback, and two fullbacks 
or goal-keepers. The goal-boards are about 
four feet long and twelve inches wide, and on 
each is painted the word '' Goal " in large let- 
ters. The boards are about eighteen inches 
above the water-line. The goal-line is an imag- 
inary line, running between two marks on the 
sides of the tank, four feet from the end. The 
tank we shall suppose to be one hundred feet 
long and twenty feet wide. As the side with 
the shallower end has somewhat of an advan- 
tage, choice of end is decided by toss at the 
beginning of the game, and the sides alternate 
in position. 



SPORT IN THE WATER 425 

Only the fullbacks or goal-keepers are en- 
titled to remain within the goal-line ; and it is 
one of the duties of the judges or umpires, who 
stand each at a goal, to declare a foul against 
any player who enters the goal enclosure ahead 
of the ball. 

There are several points of difference be- 
tween the English and the American game. In 
the English game, as I understand, the player 
is permitted to strike or push the ball with his 
hand. He may interfere with an opponent only 
when the opponent has the ball in his posses- 
sion. In this country a player may carry the 
ball in any direction, and may ** tackle '' any 
player who either has the ball or is within three 
feet of it. 

At the moment before the beginning of the 
game the teams are marshaled on the plat- 
forms, at the respective ends of the tank, as de- 
termined by the toss. It is a moment of ex- 
pectancy. The twelve young men in their 
swimming costumes make two attractive 
groups. The umpires, timekeeper, referee, are 
all in place. The audience gives signs of that 
tension exhibited at the moment in football 
when the two teams, drawn up in determined 
lines, await that first movement of the ball 
which begins the excitement of the game. 

The ball is in the middle of the tank, and 
with a great splash the players are plunging 



426 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

into the water. The two center rushes are 
swimming toward the ball from opposite sides 
of the tank, the other players scurrying into 
position behind them. For a few seconds only 
there is the suspense of not knowing which 
leader will first get the ball. Almost at the 
same instant the Red and the Black reach for 
the dancing globe. But the Red gets it; and 
quick as thought he snaps it to the halfback, 
the end rusher continuing to plunge toward the 
opposite goal. The halfback, clutching the 
ball, dives out of sight for an instant, but is 
soon seen on his way toward the left center of 
the tank. The center rush of the Blacks makes 
a great sweeping stroke for the ball, and the 
left end rusher of the Blacks is right in the 
swimmer's path. There is a big fluster of 
spray, and the left end rusher of the Reds is 
seen swimming with the ball that was cleverly 
passed to him. But the halfback of the enemy 
is alert, and by a swift side-stroke wrenches the 
ball from the daring rusher, and makes for the 
other side of the tank. Here two of his team 
make a lively effort to keep a passage for him. 
Five swimmers are soon in such a tangle that 
it is difficult to determine who has the ball. 
Three or four of the figures disappear beneath 
the foam ; and one man, another of the Blacks, 
is seen swimming hard for the Red goal. 

There is a great cheer from the spectators 
as the lusty youth cleaves the water with his 



SPORT IN THE WATER 427 

free left arm. But the swimmer can gain but 
a few strokes. He is seized by two of the Reds ; 
he writhes, dives, and appears two yards away, 
rising, unfortunately, under the very nose of 
the Red left end-rusher, who has waited for 
him. Two other Reds are but a stroke or two 
away, and all of them disappear and rise again. 
The head of the Black with the ball cannot be 
seen by the eager spectators. They are holding 
him under. Yet he seems determined not to 
give up the ball. Reenforcements from both 
teams are now at hand. Two of the Blacks dive 
with the purpose of passing the ball. But a 
man with his head under water and three or 
four men struggling with him cannot discrimi- 
nate very readily in such a matter. The plucky 
fellow, who cannot tell whose hand is friendly, 
must soon let go the ball, and who shall get it 
when he does let go? 

Then all at once two of the players who have 
been on the outskirts of the struggle discover 
that the ball has come to the surface a yard 
away from the outer line of the scramble. A 
Red now has the ball. He is making straight 
for the right of the tank. The crowd of swim- 
mers turn upon him. A signal has told the 
Reds that the ball is in their possession. Three 
times the glistening rubber changes hands, the 
Reds still carrying it nearer and nearer to 
their opponents' goal. The Black goal-keepers 
gird themselves for the struggle beyond the 



428 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

goal-line. Twice the Blacks get the ball. Twice 
the Eeds recover it. The spectators are finding 
it hard not to shont improperly loud, and not to 
stand on the seats. The shouts in the water 
often end in a gurgle, and a seething hum is 
punctuated with an occasional splash on the 
surface. 

In the scramble at the goal-line it is again 
impossible to tell who has the ball, but the Reds 
are holding all the ground (or water) they have 
taken. The effort is to touch the goal-board. 
This is no easy thing in the presence of two 
goal-keepers with arms like a blacksmith's. 
The water is white with foam, and every swim- 
mer is doing his utmost to turn the crisis to 
the advantage of his side. When the referee's 
whistle announces that the Reds have won the 
goal, a congratulatory shout greets the panting 
and dripping figures that leave the water for a 
few minutes' breathing-time. 

There is no reason in the world why the exhil- 
arating game of water polo should not be played 
in any water that is without current ; and, even 
in a river with moderately strong current, it 
would be possible to play it across stream, the 
goals and limits being once definitely placed. 
Probably, however, the popularity of the game 
will result in the arrangement of warm weather 
arenas for the sport, where everything can be 
done scientifically and in order. I think it has 
been suggested that there is a good deal of 



SPORT IN THE WATER 429 

in water polo. While the game is 
being studied out, there will be a good deal of 
roughness. But this roughness will in great 
measure diminish as skill and precision are 
acquired. 

Whatever may become of water polo, the new 
sport has certainly given a great '' boom " to 
swimming. All athletics in the water are based 
on the swimmer's art; and when swimming is 
surrounded by proper precautions against ac- 
cident, it is one of the most healthful forms of 
exercise, encouraging muscular self-confidence, 
strengthening the frame, and building up the 
lungs. There will always, I suppose, be differ- 
ences of opinion as to the best kind of stroke. 
The * * overhand ' ' stroke is fast for a short dis- 
tance; the English ^* side stroke '' is highly 
praised, and is practised by many prize win- 
ners. But the old-fashioned ** breast stroke " 
is not likely to go out of fashion for a long 
while. 

I suppose that in that interesting future we 
all like to talk about we shall have some sur- 
prising devices for traveling as well as amu- 
sing ourselves in water. We already have the 
water bicycle. Water-shoes, like those of Cap- 
tain Boynton, sound better than they look, and 
I fancy they look better than they feel. As 
might be imagined from their appearance, these 
water-shoes do not permit a seven-league 
stride; in fact, they do not permit striding at 



430 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

all. You simply have a boat on each foot, and 
must get yourself along with an oar or some 
other means of propulsion. If a person were 
in a hurry, it would pay to get these shoes off 
and swim. Captain Boynton's floating-suit was 
better, because it did not give so good an op- 
portunity for getting the head under water and 
keeping it there. With an umbrella up to keep 
off the sun, a little floating box of provisions 
and utensils, and a neat paddle. Captain Boyn- 
ton was really ready for a long and safe water 
journey. 

But the ability to swim well, and for a long 
distance if necessary, is worth all the water 
apparatus that will ever be invented. 



INTERCOLLEGIATE SOCCER 



INTEECOLLEGIATE SOCCER 

BY H. G. FRANCKE 

Intercollegiate soccer has recently passed 
the vital stage of early development and has 
passed it in snch a manner as to clearly demon- 
strate that it has come to stay and that it is 
capable of providing a healthy source of ath- 
letic activity for any sound man and inciting 
keen competition among good sportsmen. Pre- 
viously to the year 1907, there was no real or- 
ganization between the colleges, but in that year 
Dr. Babbitt, of Haverford College, summoned 
representatives from various colleges that were 
playing the game to a certain extent, to a meet- 
ing where was formed what is known as the In- 
tercollegiate Association Football League. This 
league now includes Harvard, Yale, Pennsyl- 
vania, Haverford, Columbia and Cornell. It 
has seen a very prosperous and continuous ex- 
istence, with other colleges such as State Col- 
lege (Penn.), Princeton, and Brown consider- 
ing the proposition of joining. In the South, 
soccer has been recently taken up by Lehigh, 
Franklin and Marshall, Stevens, and Delaware ; 
in the East, besides those already mentioned, 

433 



434 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

Dartmouth, Williams, Amherst, and the Massa- 
chusetts Institute of Technology are playing 
the game; while in the West it has reached a 
stage of development probably superior to the 
East. Thus such a universal appreciation of 
the game speaks for itself and proves the real 
value of the game. 

With this brief statement of the situation in 
American colleges at the present time, let us 
turn to the requirements of the game and how 
it is played by college athletes. Of course one 
must first recall that intercollegiate soccer does 
not approach the professional game of England 
and therefore my remarks will apply more es- 
pecially to the game as played in this country. 

As regards the type of man required to make 
a clever player, an active man of any stature 
can be developed into an efficient player. It 
has been maintained that large, powerful play- 
ers, who can resist the hard knocks of the de- 
fense, are preferable for the forward line, but 
the small lithe man can easily elude a heavy 
halfback with what appears to be graceful 
ease. Thus to my mind a small fast forward 
line is the ideal condition, with possibly a 
heavier man in the center, because he is bound 
to be closely watched when near the goal and 
he must be able to withstand rough handling. 
It is the duty of the outside men especially to 
carry the ball by dribbling far into the oppo- 
nents' territory and then unselfishly center it 



INTERCOLLEGIATE SOCCER 435 

to a position where the inside men can shoot 
advantageously. With this formation, there- 
fore, we find at once three requirements. In 
the first place, the outside men must have 
thorough mastery of the ball, being able to pass 
the halfback line by dribbling and to center 
the ball at the crucial moment when hard 
pressed by the fullback. This ability of drib- 
bling must not by any means be limited to the 
outside men, although it is more essential for 
them, but the greater efficiency the inside men 
have in this difficult art, the greater will be the 
variety and power of the oifense. Next, the 
inside men must learn to shoot with accuracy 
and speed. It does not do for them to attempt 
to stop the ball and manoeuver it into a more 
advantageous position, but they must be able 
to judge the bounces and shoot unexpectedly, 
before the fullbacks haye the opportunity to 
charge or the halfbacks to come to the defense 
of the goal. Finally, every man must play an 
absolutely unselfish part by remaining con- 
stantly in his position, so that the man carrying 
the ball can rely implicitly on the whereabouts 
of his teammates and instinctively pass to the 
spot where he knows a man will be to receive 
it. In addition it is advisable for the forwards 
to be able to head the ball with accuracy, be- 
cause many times it would give the opposing 
defense an opportunity to clear the ball if it 
were allowed to bounce, and on a corner kick 



436 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

it is very difficult for a goal-tender to save a 
well-headed ball, because such a play does not 
reveal itself until the last moment when the 
forward leaps into the air. Thus a well play- 
ing forward line advances the ball by dribbling 
until attacked, then passes either for a short 
distance or across the field to draw the defense 
out of position, and finally centers to the inside 
when near the opponents' goal and shoots. 

The halfbacks have a double duty thrust upon 
their shoulders. When the forwards are press- 
ing the attack, the halfbacks must follow up 
behind them to render assistance if they lose 
the ball and to be prepared to receive a back- 
ward pass if the man with the ball finds him- 
self unable to pass advantageously to another 
forward. When the opponents gain posses- 
sion, the duties of the halfbacks become defen- 
sive. They must charge quickly before the 
forward line has an opportunity to get work- 
ing smoothly and make the man with the ball 
pass. To be able to check an attack, the half- 
back line must be exceptionally fast and able to 
start and change direction suddenly. There 
can be no hesitation, because a fearless charge 
will tend to disconcert the man with the ball, 
thus enabling the halfback to gain possession 
himself or cause a poor pass to be made. If 
the halfbacks seek to cover the attack of each 
othjer, the defense becomes so much the more 
effective. By covering the attack I mean play- 



INTERCOLLEGIATE SOCCER 437 

ing together in such a manner that when one 
tackles the other two are prepared to intercept 
the pass. Let us assume that the center for- 
ward has the ball. As the center half charges 
the others drop back slightly, at the same time 
moving towards the center of the field. Thus 
when the center man compels a pass, the other 
two are in a favorable position to regain pos- 
session of the ball, whether it be a long or short 
pass. When the situation becomes offensive, 
the halfbacks must quickly sum up the condi- 
tions and determine what is the best course to 
follow. If the halfback is clear, he can carry 
the ball himself as far as he sees fit, but he 
must bear in mind that his forwards are the 
real scoring implement and not try to do too 
much Himself. When attacked he must pass to 
his forwards and instinctively seek out that one 
who is uncovered, at the same time attempting 
to vary the play by short passes or by swing- 
ing the ball across the field. It is a very diffi- 
cult question to answer, to what degree the half- 
backs shall assume offensive duties, but it is 
safe to say that the best defense is a powerful 
attack, leaving much to the discretion of the 
player. From this we see that the halfback 
line must be composed of powerful men with 
good stamina and speed. For the forward line 
and fullbacks there is an occasional period of 
rest, but the halfbacks, especially is, this true 
of the center halfback, who must bear the brunt 



438 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

of the attack, must be continually on the alert, 
never trying to shirk the arduous duties im- 
posed upon them. In addition to being able to 
kick with both feet with equal facility and ac- 
curacy, it is essential that the halfbacks be 
proficient in the art of heading the ball. If 
oftentimes the ball is allowed to touch the 
ground, an opposing forward can come in on 
the run and be down the field before the half- 
back can turn, but heading the ball prevents 
this absolutely if it is properly done. It is a 
good plan, when doing this, to judge exactly 
where the ball will come down to the height 
suitable for heading and lay off for a few sec- 
onds while permitting the opponent to get set 
as he waits for it to descend. Then, by jump- 
ing into the air on the run, one at the same 
time regains the ball away and gets a good 
start down the field. If one tries to head the 
ball by waiting so that one comes down where 
the ball naturally would have dropped, it is an 
easy matter for an opponent to throw one aside 
by a very light charge. This art is very useful, 
in fact one might even say necessary, when the 
opposing goal-tender is kicking out, because the 
ball takes a long flight with sufficient height to 
make heading the natural course to pursue. 

We now come to the fullbacks, whose duties 
are purely defensive and therefore of great 
importance, because when they fail to stop the 
onrush, it is practically certain that a score 



INTERCOLLEGIATE SOCCER 439 

will follow, since an unprotected goal-tender is 
almost helpless when one considers the size of 
the goal that he is expected to cover. Here 
again the tackling must be hard and fearless, 
but at the same time it cannot be aimless and 
still yield good results. It is extremely disas- 
trous for a fullback to charge without consider- 
ing what his opponent is going to attempt, be- 
cause then he is off his balance and a little side- 
step will circumvent his best efforts, thus 
leaving a free course to the goal. If the full- 
back merely pretends to hesitate, he can trick 
his opponent into a movement that will disclose 
his intentions and give him the opportunity to 
charge effectively. Thus I have seen a full- 
back make a motion as if he were going to 
charge in such a position as to prevent a pass 
to a certain wing, whereupon the forward tried 
to go down the center or make a short pass in 
that direction, and then the fullback charged 
and spoiled the play. Thus a fullback must 
carefully study every movement of an ap- 
proaching forward and try to fathom his inten- 
tions. As was the case with the rest of the 
team, the fullbacks must play in . close touch 
with each other; when one charges, the other 
drops back and towards the center to intercept 
a pass or delay the line until the other back 
can return to his position in case he is eluded 
without causing a pass to be made. Here at 
Harvard we have tried a scheme which proved 



440 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

of great service to us in our spring season of 
1913. Perhaps it succeeded on account of the 
great speed of one of our fullbacks and perhaps 
it could be used in any combination, but it 
serves to illustrate how two fullbacks should 
play together with a mutual understanding. 
Instead of playing them side by side, we had 
a line formation whereby our captain, who was 
extremely fast, charged first. If he was suc- 
cessful in stopping the attack, well and good; 
if not, the other fullback crossed over at full 
speed and charged, thereby either gaining pos- 
session of the ball or causing sufficient delay 
for the other to regain his position. This sys- 
tem had the great advantage that it kept the 
play farther down the field than when the full- 
backs played side by side, waiting for the at- 
tack to reach them, creating more opportunities 
for the successful interception of the ball. 

It is very difficult to say anything of use or 
interest concerning the goal-tender. Of course 
it is advantageous although not essential for 
a goal-tender to have good height, but many 
small men have made up for this deficiency by 
their extreme agility and have developed into 
goal-tenders with what appear to be supernat- 
ural powers. It would be a physical impossi- 
bility to reach the ball in many cases where 
stops have been made, but a goal-tender seems 
to be able by intuition to intercept well placed 
shots. There are a few rules of position that 



INTERCOLLEGIATE SOCCER 441 

can be laid down, such as shifting towards a 
wing man carrying the ball, but on the whole, 
it is impossible to say what the goal-tender 
should do. It must be left to his discretion 
when the emergency presents itself. 

To develop a team capable of taking part in 
a big series, one must first develop stamina and 
good wind by strict training and long runs. It 
is obvious that a team will be greatly weakened 
by the failure to get into good condition if one 
realizes that a regular game consists of two 
forty-five minute halves with a brief intermis- 
sion and that no substitutions are allowed, al- 
though in the intercollegiate league a provision 
has been made to permit the use of one substi- 
tute per game. 

After the preliminary training of long dis- 
tance running the team should be made to de- 
velop speed and the power of quick starting, 
by devoting a considerable time to sudden, 
short sprints. Often the only way to prevent 
a score is by overtaking a man who has passed 
the rest of the team, and speed is the only re- 
quirement that can meet fhis contingency. The 
forward line must next learn individually to 
control the ball by running up and down the 
field at top speed, keeping it always not more 
than a yard in front. When shooting practice 
commences, it is our custom to draw up the for- 
ward line at a reasonable distance from the 
goal, with the halfback line supporting them 



442 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

from behind. Thus the forwards learn to re- 
ceive passes from each other and to shoot with- 
out delay, and the halfbacks learn how to feed 
the ball to the forwards in such a manner that 
it is not necessary to stop the ball before shoot- 
ing. It is also desirable for the halfbacks to 
attempt occasionally long shots from their posi- 
tions, because such a play may take a goal- 
tender unawares and result in a score. Finally, 
a course of development would consist in steady 
practice in heading the ball, whereby the men 
would not only learn to leave their feet, but 
also would acquire accuracy in direction. 
Merely hitting the ball is of no avail, in fact 
it can be disastrous if the ball glides off to an 
opponent. As great accuracy in hitting as in 
kicking is essential. 

In conclusion let me say a few words concern- 
ing the great enjoyment of the game. So far I 
have had the pleasure of playtng on the Har- 
vard team for two years, when we finished at 
the head of the intercollegiate league after a 
very difficult series, most of the games being 
decided by the scant margin of one point. Of 
course the thrill of victory may have been re- 
sponsible for a large part of the satisfaction 
obtained, but I firmly believe that the game 
affords a wonderful opportunity for healthy 
yet vigorous exercise, without the utter ex- 
haustion and danger of injury found in other 
games. When one recalls how the game is 



INTERCOLLEGIATE SOCCER 443 

growing in our American colleges and that the 
preparatory schools are taking it up, one can- 
not fail to realize that it has come to stay and 
to develop into a game of widespread interest. 



WRESTLING 



WEESTLING 

Wrestling is an ancient and time-honored 
sport. It was practised by the Greeks in the 
time of Homer and its arts were known to the 
Hebrews in Old Testament times. To-day in 
its many forms it is quite universal. The Jap- 
anei 3 are exponents of a style of wrestling 
known as jiu-jitsu. The European wrestlers 
meet usually under the Grseco-Eoman rules, 
while here in America we have our catch-as- 
catch-can variety. 

It is not surprising that wrestling should 
have continued as a popular sport through all 
the centuries and in all climes. It offers better 
than can anything else that opportunity, which 
youth so constantly seeks, for testing its 
strength in combat with comrade or rival. And 
while bodily strength is paramount, roughness 
and brutality may be entirely absent. Further- 
more, as a sport it requires little or no para- 
phernalia or equipment, no large number of 
players and no elaborate field for practice. The 
wrestler strips to the waist and meets his op- 
ponent on a mat which need measure no more 
than twenty feet square. Two strong bodies 
and two stout hearts, each with the love of eon- 

447 



448 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

test, are all that are needed to make the bout 
a success. 

I believe every boy should know something 
about wrestling just as he should of boxing and 
swimming. They all add to his manhood and 
to his strength and to his ability for self-de- 
fense and preservation. He may learn these 
things from his brothers at home, or at school, 
or from instructors, it matters little which, but 
when he has mastered them he assumes a place 
of no mean respect among his comrades. 

In this article it is impossible to go into more 
than a few of the commoner holds. I shall at- 
tempt to describe how these are applied and 
how they are defended against. 

First and most important is to assume a 
strong standing position, thus giving your op- 
ponent the least possible chance to gain the 
advantage while at the same time you are ready 
to move rapidly and seize whatever opening 
may present. To this end stand in a crouching 
position with the body bent slightly forward, 
the arms somewhat extended, the leading hand 
being more so than its mate. The feet should 
be rather well apart, one foot slightly ahead of 
the other. Do not have your arms so far ex- 
tended that your opponent may use them as a 
lever in securing a hold, nor stand with the legs 
much bent at the knees, as they then offer an 
excellent mark for a diving hold. 

If both contestants assume strong positions 




THE REFEREE'S HOLD. THIS IS THE HOLD USUALLY ASSUMED 
AT THE BEGINNING OF A BOUT. 




FIRST STANDING HOLD. THE WREST- 
LER TRYING FOR THE HOLD HAS 
THROWN HIS OPPONENT'S LEFT 
ARM UP AND FORWARD, AND 
NOW HAS AN OPPORTUNITY 
TO SLIP BEHIND HIM. 



THE SECOND STANDING HOLD. THI 

AGRESSOR HAS SECURED A GOOD 

HOLD ON HIS opponent's LEFT 

LEG AND IS SEEN TRIPPING 

THE BIGHT LEG. 



WRESTLING 1 



WRESTLING 449 

they will fall naturally into so-called referee's 
hold, i. e., each will place his leading hand on 
the back of his opponent 's neck while the other 
hand either grasps his opponent's leading arm 
at the elbow or hangs ready for action. This 
hold brings the men together, obviates much 
needless sparring for openings and is equally 
fair to each, so that neither should hesitate to 
assume it. 

I shall mention three ways of throwing the 
opponent to the mat from the referee's hold. 
The first depends upon your ability to pull 
your opponent suddenly forward and past you. 
If you are successful this gives you the oppor- 
tunity of clasping his waist from behind. With 
this advantage it should be possible to throw 
him to the mat either by throwing your whole 
weight sharply to one side and tripping him at 
the same instant, or by pushing him quickly 
forward with your whole strength and as you 
do so catching up one of his legs at the ankle. 
If you have managed to get behind him, one 
of these methods should bring your man to the 
mat. The second hold is somewhat more dan- 
gerous as an offensive move but more likely to 
end in a fall when successful. By a quick feint 
your opponent's arms are thrown upwards 
while at the same instant you dive for his for- 
ward leg. If successful you lift quickly and 
advance, entangling his other leg with your 
own as you carry him backwards and down. 



450 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

The third hold is by far the most difficult but 
the most satisfactory and sure of a fall when 
well executed. It is an arm lock with a cross- 
body throw. If you have assumed the referee's 
hold you will be gripping your opponent 's lead- 
ing arm just above the elbow. The success of 
the hold which I am about to describe depends 
upon the firmness of that grip and upon the 
quickness with which the other moves are car- 
ried out. Draw your opponent's elbow sud- 
denly towards you, at the same time slipping 
your leading arm around his neck and with the 
same motion turning your body by stepping 
sharply across in front of his body with your 
leading leg. Now with the leg acting as a ful- 
crum you throw your man across your hip and 
on to the mat. Do not loosen your grasp on 
his elbow or neck but fall with him, maintaining 
your grip until you have gained the fall. 

If wrestling were all offense, any one of these 
three holds would always mean a fall for the 
man who attempted them, but wrestling also 
has its defensive side. In the first hold the de- 
fense consists in anticipating the pull and bra- 
cing against it, or in warding off the pulling 
hand. In the second hold, the best defense is 
to keep the legs well back so that they cannot 
be reached by a dive. But if your leg has been 
caught by the dive it is necessary either to 
break the hold by quickly straightening the leg 
and throwing your weight on your opponent in 



WRESTLING 451 

an endeavor to bear him to the mat, or to turn 
and fall on the mat in the defensive position. 
The defense against the third hold is very sim- 
ple but must be used quickly in order to avail. 
By placing the heel of your hand in your oppo- 
nent's groin or against his side as he attempts 
to turn his body to make the throw, it is easy 
to ward him off while you slip free. At the 
same time you should attempt to slip behind 
and throw him to the mat. 

On the mat so much depends upon the defen- 
sive position that I shall describe it first. 
Whenever you are thrown to the mat you 
should try to assume a position on your hands 
and knees. This will enable you best to with- 
stand your opponent's hold and to get away 
from him if the chance arises. Likewise if you 
are so fortunate as to be on top, do not forget 
that your opponent is working always to get 
up and that this position on his hands offers 
him the best chance. 

Of the holds taken on the mat, the Nelsons 
are the most commonly used. They all are 
worked by using the arm and head as points of 
leverage. In the full Nelson, your arms are 
slipped one under each of your opponent's arm- 
pits and clasped on the back of his head. By 
pressing down on the head and lifting on the 
arms it is possible to turn your opponent in 
half a somersault and press his shoulders to 
the mat. This particular hold is barred in 



452 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

amateur wrestling but should be known to all 
wrestlers as it contains the principle on which 
the others are worked, i. e., the leverage on the 
head and armpit. In the half Nelson no at- 
tempt is made to slip the arm under the more 
distant arm of your opponent. Instead the free 
hand is used to hold your opponent close and to 
assist in pushing down his head. In the 
** further half " the opposite arms are the 
parts involved. 

'The breaks for the Nelsons are all similar. 
They consist of an arm lock and body roll. 
Thus if your opponent has taken a half Nelson, 
you should lock his arm tightly between your 
arm and his side and roll quickly towards him, 
at the same time throwing your free arm over 
his body. This roll is often more effective in 
gaining a fall than the Nelson itself. The break 
for the ^^ further half " is exactly the same 
except that the lock is on the other arm and the 
roll away from him. 

The use of the leg scissors is very important. 
This hold alone is not usually enough to gain 
a fall but in conjunction with other holds is 
very effective. The scissors can be taken on 
the opponent's body, arms, legs or head. In 
the body scissors the legs are wrapped around 
the opponent's waist and the feet securely 
locked by pressing with the knees. This hold 
may be made very firm. The principle is ex- 
actly the same in the head or arm scissors. 



WRESTLING 453 

The defense for the scissors is not to let your 
opponent get it, for once obtained it is hard to 
break. So if your man tries to take the scis- 
sors, try to push his knees away and keep his 
feet apart. If he is successful in his endeavor, 
the hold can be broken sometimes by reaching 
his feet and pulling them apart, or by turning 
quickly so as to face your opponent. This latter 
can be accomplished only when his grip has not 
been tightened. 

These are but a few of the more important 
holds. However, it is no exaggeration to say 
that if these few are thoroughly mastered, they 
offer an offensive and defensive equipment suf- 
ficient for winning many a bout. It is far 
better to know these few well and be able to use 
them than to have a great many more half 
learned. A sense of poise and balance is of 
much greater value in winning bouts than any 
number of fancy holds. This comes naturally 
to some boys and others get it only after years 
of practice. Learn your few holds and when 
to use them, watch for your opponent's mis- 
takes and take advantage of them, be careful 
but aggressive and you will find wrestling no 
mystery. It is a sport where quick wits, 
strength, and knowledge all play important 
parts. 



LACROSSE 



LACROSSE 



BY PAUL GUSTAFSON" 



Laceosse is a game for which we are indebted 
to the Indians, primarily, and to the Canadians, 
who have revised the play and formed a code 
of playing rules. The Indians used to play on 
fields of various sizes, and with a great num- 
ber of players on each side. The fundamental 
principle of the game was, as it still is, to have 
the sides even; often as many as a hundred 
played on each team, and the goal-posts were 
placed a mile apart. Sometimes the play lasted 
all day without deciding a winner. 

As the aborigines played lacrosse, it was a 
game for everybody. Each player made his 
own stick, or ** crosse,'' from a bent branch 
and thongs, to make a ^' pocket " in which to 
catch the ball, which was made of leather. The 
man with the greatest endurance, speed, and 
cleverness in handling his stick, regardless of 
his size, became the most successful player. 

About 1850, George Beers, of Canada, recog- 
nized the value of lacrosse as a game for others 
than the Indians, and introduced the game 
among civilized Canadians, at the same time 

457 



458 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

making '"definite rules. For this reason, he is 
rightly called the ** father '' of lacrosse, which 
has become the national game of Canada. In 
certain parts of Canada it is as popular as base- 
ball is in the United States, and the boys begin 
playing as soon as they are able to lift their 
little sticks. Amateur and professional leagues 
have been formed, and all the schools and col- 
leges have representative teams. 

Lacrosse was first begun in the United 
States by Canadian players, who settled in New 
York about 1870. Since that time the game has 
gained in popularity, so that it is now played 
at many of the leading colleges and universi- 
ties, preparatory schools, and clubs in several 
cities. The first intercollegiate lacrosse asso- 
ciation was formed in 1882, the members of 
which were Yale, Princeton, Harvard, Colum- 
bia, and New York University. The Intercol- 
legiate Lacrosse League now comprises Johns 
Hopkins, Swarthmore, Lehigh, Harvard, Cor- 
nell, Stevens, and Hobart. Many other colleges 
and training schools, including the United 
States Naval Academy at Annapolis, are rep- 
resented by lacrosse teams, while at the Car- 
lisle Indian School, lacrosse is played to the 
exclusion of baseball, in the spring. Among 
the clubs, the Crescent Athletic Club has done 
much to foster the game in New York, playing 
several Canadian teams each season; while 
Baltimore, Boston, and several Western cities 



LACROSSE 459 

are represented by strong amateur teams, the 
players being chiefly men who used to play on 
school and college twelves. Among the younger 
players, lacrosse is most popular in the prepar- 
atory schools of Baltimore and New York, while 
Phillips Andover Academy has had a team for 
some years. 

Just as the lacrosse the Indians played was 
a game for everybody, so to-day it is a game 
that anybody can take up with advantage, and 
* ' make good ' ' at it. This may be easily under- 
stood, when a man weighing one hundred and 
fifteen pounds is seen playing against another 
who weighs two hundred; speed and stick- 
work make up for the difference in weight, and 
by constant practice a small man may become 
a better player than one much heavier. 

I shall now try to outline the qualifications 
for a successful player and for a well-balanced 
team, for twelve good players do not necessa- 
rily make a good strong team unless their ef- 
forts are united to score more goals than the 
other side, and at the same time, if possible, 
prevent the opponents from lodging the ball 
safely in the objective goal-net. 

The most important feature of individual 
playing is ability to handle one 's stick. A man 
who can catch any ball which is within his 
reach, and throw it wherever he desires to, 
every single time, is exceptional. First of all, 
a good stick must be used. One made of raw- 



460 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

hide and clock-cord wMch is fairly soft is best. 
It makes little difference, as in hockey, whether 
the player is right-handed or left-handed; it is 
best to stick to one system or the other until 
perfectly familiar with it, before attempting 
to be ambidextrous, though it is often of advan- 
tage to be able to handle the crosse equally well 
either way. I have found it useful to keep the 
hands well apart in passing, thus getting 
greater accuracy. 

Good stick-work is obtained only by long and 
faithful practice, but unless the men on a team 
are sure of their own and their team-mates* 
passing, fast playing cannot result, and the 
ball is on the ground most of the time, instead 
of being in the air. The best way to become 
proficient is for a few men, and only a few, to 
pass the ball around from one to another, with 
every one in motion, for lacrosse is a moving 
game. As for playing with only one hand upon 
the stick, this should be attempted only in 
emergencies, as when warding off an opponent 
or holding the stick out of his way. 

How shall the ball be held in one's stick? 
What is the best way to shoot, to get the most 
power behind the ball? These are questions 
which experience answers best. As soon as the 
ball is caught, it should assume a position next 
to the wood, and be kept there, until it is passed 
or ** shot '* at the opponents' goal. The only 
way to get at the proper direction is to let the 



LACROSSE 461 

ball leave the stick at the bend in the wood. On 
a long, hard throw it may be started nearer the 
handle than in case of a short pass, but never 
should the ball be allowed to become caught in 
the leading-string, for then it invariably goes 
wrong. This, however, can be learned best by 
constant practice. The pass should always be 
where your colleague can most easily catch it 
and be in a position to throw again. I have 
found that a ball face-high is usually very eas- 
ily caught, and the receiver is thus in a position 
to pass immediately. If he has to catch the 
pass at his ankles, it is necessary to lift the 
stick up before throwing, thus wasting time 
and losing opportunities. 

The line-up of the teams is as follows: 

Goal 

Inside Home Point 

Outside Home Coverpoint 

First Attack First Defense 

Second Attack Second Defense 

Third Attack Third Defense 

Center Center 

Third Defense Third Attack 

Second Defense Second Attack 

Fii'st Defense First Attack 

Coverpoint Outside Home 
Point t Inside Home 
Goal 



462 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

Of the twelve men on the team, each player, 
with the exception of the goal-tender, has one 
direct opponent to play against. There are 
^ve attack men against five corresponding de- 
fense men, besides the center, who ^^ faces 
off '* at the beginning and after each goal. 

As the field of play is one hundred and ten to 
one hundred and twenty-five yards long, there 
is ample room for the twenty-four players on 
the field at one time. There is no fixed way to 
line up, except that the centers face off with 
left side toward the goal they are attacking; 
that is, the referee places the ball upon the 
ground between their sticks, and when the 
referee calls ** play '' they draw their sticks 
toward them ; while this is being done the other 
players must be at least ten feet away. 

The third attack usually stations himself at 
the edge of the ten-foot circle, in order to be 
as near the ball as possible when it is put into 
play. The other attack men usually find it of 
advantage to keep spread out, so that the initial 
line-up usually is like that represented in Fig- 
ure 1. The defense men are seen between their 
attack men and the goal, to prevent the attack 
from getting shots at goal unmolested. 

It is true that the attack men score most of 
the goals ; but in order that the attack may get 
into a position to score, it is necessary for the 
twelve men to work together as a team and that 
each individual keep his eye on the ball all the 



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FIGURE 1 



464 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

time. When a man from each team has started 
for the ball, a third man shonld immediately go 
to the assistance of his team-mate, and keep 
his opponent away from the ball long enough to 
allow his team-mate to get it. Body-checking 
is allowable when within six feet of the ball, 
though to check a man with the stick, a play 
called the *^ crosse-check,*^ is a foul. The team 
which has the ball most of the time is usually 
the winner. 

In no game is team-work more important 
than in lacrosse, and this applies particularly 
to the attack. Good defense alone cannot win 
games. The attack must break through or out- 
wit the opposing defense and shoot the ball into 
the opponents^ goal-net. There are certain 
rules which the attack men should always fol- 
low; the first is to keep moving all the time. 
If an attack man stands still, except when he is 
directly involved in the play, he is what the de- 
fense man calls ^* easy to cover," and his oppo- 
nent does not have to watch him all the time. 
Another rule which seldom, if ever, calls for 
exception, is that the man move toward the hall. 
If you stand still or move away from it, then 
your opponent has a chance to intercept the 
pass; also, it is to be remembered that a 
straight hard pass is the only one to use. 

If one team played with only eleven men, it 
is easily seen that the other team, with twelve, 
would have a decided advantage. If the team 



LACROSSE 465 

with tlie greater number of players got the ball, 
they would have an odd man, and theoretically 
they should not lose it until a goal had been 
scored. Thus, it is the effort of a team to get 
an extra man upon the attack, in that part of 
the field nearest the opponents' goal, when in 
possession of the ball. With sure passing and 
an accurate shot, a goal should result. On the 
other hand, the opposing defense tries to block 
all attempts to *^ get the extra man.'' It be- 
comes a question not only of speed, but also of 
wits. An attack man may be able to run faster 
than the defense man against him, but cannot 
carry the ball past him. 

There are several simple plays which, if 
properly executed, and if the proper moment is 
chosen, often result in securing the extra man. 
Let us suppose that the attack has the ball, but 
that each attack man is covered. The play is 
then for the third defense or the center to sprint 
suddenly away from his direct opponent, in 
toward goal. The attack man with the ball 
passes to the uncovered third defense, who 
keeps on until checked, or goes into goal and 
takes a shot. (Figure 2.) 

In this case (Figure 2), the first attack has 
the ball, and all his fellow attack men are 
** covered close " by the defense. Now, when 
this extra man gets the ball, he continues until 
a defense man comes to check him, or until he 
gets to the '* crease," six feet in front of the 



466 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 



r- 




1 








9 




L- 




1 






P- 










I.H. 








c.p. 
O.H 


id 








2d 


lA..^ 










2A 


sd 


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c 

C 





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3D 



FIGURE ^ 

goal, within which he may not step, when he 
shoots. In case a defense man checks him (Fig- 
ure 3), he passes to the man who is left un- 
covered, and is in a favorable position. Now 
let US suppose that the goal-tender has come 
out to check the inhome, as in this case ; a shot 
at goal is taken, regardless of the distance. If 
no goal-tender is there, the ball passes directly 
into the net. 

Frequently it is possible to get the extra man 



LACROSSE 



467 




GOAL 



3D 

FIGURE 3 




FIGURE 



by what I choose to call the ** pivot play." 
This term is self-explanatory to the veteran 
player. In this play the man with the ball 
passes to his colleague, and immediately rushes 
past his unsuspecting adversary and receives 
the quick return pass, thus gaining the advan- 
tage afforded by having the odd man. In Fig- 
ure 4, A and B are attack men, playing against 
C and D respectively. A has the ball at Al, 
checked by C, while D is covering B closely at 
Bl. B takes a step to B2, while A passes to 
him and dashes to A2, where he receives the 
pass and is free to take a shot at the goal. 



468 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

Oftentimes a player finds himself deserted, 
so to speak, in possession of the ball, with only 
one defense man between himself and the goal, 
and too far out to have a chance of shooting 
past the goal-tender. Now is the time for in- 
dividual play. He has nobody to pass to, only 
one man to get by, and if successful in the at- 
tempt to dodge, he is almost sure of a goal. 
There are various ways to dodge, but it is dif- 
ficult to pass the experienced point or first de- 
fense; you must make up your own mind in 
a hurry, and have confidence that you can out- 
guess your opponent. One way is to throw the 
ball over his head, then run past him and catch 
it ; another way is to run around him, if you are 
faster on your feet ; the third, and perhaps the 
most successful method, consists of making a 
feint at throwing or shooting, and while he is 
attempting to block the shot, instead of body- 
checking, he finds himself swinging at the air 
as the attack man wheels around, and passes 
him with the ball in his stick and a free shot at 
goal awaiting him. This method, however, re- 
quires a great deal of practice, but it is a good 
play to be able to execute, as such emergencies 
often arise. 

The attack men shoot at the goal, but often 
the goal-tender stops the greater number of the 
shots, especially from far out, and often the 
ball goes past the goal. In the latter case, of 
course, the inhome and outhome should dash 



LACROSSE 469 

behind tlie goal to get the ball, but if the goal- 
tender or a defense man gets the ball, the attack 
is immediately put on the defensive. The de- 
fense intends to pass the ball up the field 
toward the opponents' goal, and the opposing 
attack must not expect the defense to do all the 
defensive work. When the other side gets the 
ball, the attack men should '' cover back; " 
that is, they should prevent the defense men 
from passing the ball up the field, and be care- 
ful not to let the other side have the extra man 
at any point, for the ball travels much faster 
than a player can run. 

Often a goal-tender stops a great many shots 
in a game; thirty or forty attempts are inter- 
cepted by his body or stick, and he may let only 
one or two pass. Where one analyzes this 
wonderful defensive record, it is sometimes 
found that the attack men are not '^ placing " 
their shots, but letting them go to waste by hit- 
ting the goal-tender, or shooting too low when 
near the goal. After the work of bringing the 
ball into a position to score, the man making 
the shot should place the ball so that the goal- 
tender shall have hard work to stop it, for it is 
true that a goal-tender often feels the ball be- 
fore he sees it, on close shots. When far away, 
it is well to make the ball bound at least waist- 
high; when close to the goal, aim for the top 
corners of the net. 

It 13 the purpose of the defense to prevent the 



470 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

opposing attack from scoring, and there are a 
few general rules which may be laid down for 
defense team-play. The attack has an advan- 
tage, of course, in that the defense must adjust 
itself to the style of offense, hut the slightest 
slip-up is likely to give the defense the ball. 

As long as every attack man is covered, he 
cannot get a free shot at the goal ; therefore it 
is the first principle to ' * cover your man. ' ' In 
this case, the attack must shoot hurriedly and 
from a distance, and there is little danger of a 
score, with a reliable goal-tender. The real 
work comes when the attack, by clever manoeu- 
vering, gets the extra man, and begins to make 
a rush toward goal. What can the defense dof 
How can three defense men cover four attack 
men? It will be noticed that the attack men 
immediately spread out, so as to have one man 
free — uncovered. This man would be able to 
score, provided the defense took a man each. 
The thing to do is to draw in toward goal, re- 
treat, as it were, and ^* bunch the attack," so 
that the defense man has a chance to intercept 
a pass or spoil a shot ; in the meantime, if the 
attack men hesitate, another defense man is on 
the way to cover the extra man. 

When an attack man has succeeded in pass- 
ing his direct opponent, the defense man next 
nearer the goal must leave his man to check 
him. The defense man must be warned not to 
rush at him, but wait, and, if possible, delay 



LACROSSE 471 

him while the other defense man is regaining 
his position. An axiom for a defense man is to 
run straight toward goal if another defense 
man is needed, for there he will find the last 
uncovered attack man ready to take a shot. 
The defense man must choose the correct mo- 
ment to leave his own man to take another ; if 
too early, this man never receives the pass ; if 
too late, he has passed it along or shot a goal. 

The ideal defense is the one that does not 
permit the opponents to get the extra man, but 
in case the attack outwits the defense and gets 
the extra man, the defense men must work to- 
gether and prevent the opponents from getting 
a close shot. 

The center is a combination of defense and 
attack; one moment, he is defending his own 
goal, the next, he is shooting at the other. This 
position requires a great amount of skill and 
endurance. The goal-tender, on the other hand, 
does very little running except behind the goal, 
when a shot goes by, but he must stand un- 
flinching and stop with stick or body the hard 
and the easy shots of the opposing team. The 
requisites of the attack and defense men have 
been mentioned in detail. A good attack is 
made up of five men who have fine stick- work, 
plenty of initiative, and confidence in each 
other, while the successful defense is found to 
be the one, every man of which is determined 
to stop his opponent, and which works together 



472 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

as a unit in stopping the adversary. In every 
position a man must think quickly and act 
quickly; lacrosse is a game which ^requires 
and develops alertness, speed, and stamina in 
every one who plays it. 



BASKETBALL 



HOW TO PLAY BASKETBALL 

The Defense 
by feed a. kohleb 

Basketball, unlike football, baseball, hockey, 
and similar games, has no fixed system either 
of defense or offense. There are no mass plays 
or defensive formations as in football, no in- 
field and outfield as in baseball, and no goal- 
tender or point as in hockey. Every player on 
a basketball team is as much a defensive player 
as he is offensive and vice versa. 

In former years, when basketball was not as 
perfected as it now is, it was thought that the 
forwards were to do the scoring, the guards the 
defensive work, while the center did a little bit 
of both. This idea has been entirely discarded. 
In fact, to-day there is little or no difference 
between the duties of a forward and a guard. 
Both must be equally able to score and to pre- 
vent their opponents from doing so. In a re- 
cent game between Yale University and the 
University of Pennsylvania the forwards of 
both teams failed to score. In the majority of 
games, however, the number of points scored is 

476 



476 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

justly, evenly distributed among the whole five 
players. This shows plainly the tendency 
toward a team that scores and guards as a team. 
In other words, every man a forward, a guard, 
a center at the proper time; a ** five man 
team. ' ' 

When boys begin to organize teams they 
nearly always pay too much attention to indi- 
vidual shooting or guarding and overlook the 
vital element in the game, namely, team-play. 
The best team is not necessarily the team that 
can shoot most accurately, nor the team that 
guards most effectively. It is the team that 
plays entirely together, that guards together, 
passes together, shoots together. 

Perhaps the best way for a team to develop 
team-play is the method now employed by 
nearly every well-coached team. At every 
practice there is a short scrimmage lasting 
from ten to fifteen minutes, in which no shots 
at the goal are attempted, merely getting pos- 
session of the ball and keeping it away from the 
opposing side. A team that can pass the ball 
around long enough will ultimately exhaust or 
demoralize their opponents. 

This sort of passing, however, does not mean 
simply tossing the ball from player to player 
while standing still. Every player is expected 
to be moving and moving fast the entire game. 
No matter how well a man can shoot or guard, 
if he loafs, he had better be out of the game, 



HOW TO PLAY BASKETBALL 477 

for it is practically the same as having six men 
on the other side ; the ' * loafer ' ' not only slows 
np his team-mates ' play but he allows his man 
to run free. Every man must be always on the 
jump, always ready to receive a pass from one 
of his side or to intercept one of his opponents ' 
throws. Besides this, he must be alert enough 
to pass the ball quickly and accurately to the 
proper man, to get free himself and to repeat 
the operation until a fairly easy chance for a 
basket is offered. The best way to express it 
is, *' never stand still a second." Play as 
hard as you can and then ask for a chance to 
rest. Under the new regulations which require 
that time shall be taken out at least once every 
ten minutes there is no reason why a player 
should save his strength. 

Handling the Ball 

Another thing that teams should pay partic- 
ular attention to is the practising how to handle 
the ball when the player is on the run. In any 
fast game practically all of the passes and shots 
are made by players while running. Practise 
catching and throwing the ball while you are in 
motion. Be able to pass or shoot accurately 
while at top speed. Players that have mastered 
that part of the game are the most dangerous 
men and the hardest to guard closely. 

Now as to the defense. I said before that 



478 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

every player must be able to play defensively 
when the other side has the ball. At such a 
time every player — center, forwards, guards, 
every one — must single out an opponent and 
try to prevent his passing or shooting. It is a 
mistake to try to ** cover '' the same man al- 
ways. The best plan is for each player to take 
the opponent nearest him, no matter what posi- 
tion he is supposed to play. This is the hardest 
thing for a boys' team to master. Eemember 
that it is a game between two teams, not five 
separate games between five different pairs of 
players. Guard as a team. The same idea is 
shown when a football defense line stays un- 
changed although the opposing line men drop 
back or shift. This means even more alertness 
in every player, yet, difiicult as it may appear, 
it can be acquired with an average amount of 
careful practice. 

If a certain member of the other side should 
succeed in scoring a large number of goals, do 
not necessarily blame the man who played 
against him. It is very seldom that any one 
man is entirely responsible for a basket made 
by the opponents ; it is usually due to a number 
of misplays or mistakes in judgment by the rest 
of the team. Similarly the man that scores the 
largest number of points does not always de- 
serve the greatest share of the credit; before 
he could shoot his team had to get the ball and 
work it down the floor into a position where he 



HOW TO PLAY BASKETBALL 479 

could shoot the basket. When faults are ap- 
parent or good points very evident it is the 
team-play which is responsible rather than in- 
dividuals, for it is team-play, both offensive 
and defensive, that either wins or loses the 
game. 

In games where the dribble is allowed there 
is another phase in the defensive play. One 
player should always take care to be between 
the play and the basket he is defending. This 
does not mean that a guard should station him- 
self on a certain spot and wait for some one to 
attempt a dribble, but he should always be in 
a position to cut in ahead of any such attempt. 
It often happens that all the other players have 
followed a play into the other half of the floor. 
In such a case the guard may follow right in, 
provided he make sure none of the other side 
are so placed that they could dribble past him 
and get a free shot. This player is not ' ' loaf- 
ing '' by any means. He plays up and down on 
a line in the center of the floor and must watch 
both sides so as to head off a dribble down 
either side-line. It is not customary for any one 
player to do this '* back playing " continually. 
Usually the man that happens to be farthest 
back tends to it. But as the dribble is becoming 
more and more restricted each year and is des- 
tined to be entirely eliminated from basketball 
some day it is not worth while paying too much 
attention to it. 



480 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

Play the Ball 

Another fault that younger teams should 
seek to avoid is the tendency to play the man 
rather than the ball. The players cannot seem 
to realize the time and points they lose in at- 
tempting to hold or block their opponents. Oc- 
casionally the ** dirty '' team will '' get away 
with it. ' ^ That is one of the big drawbacks in 
all sports : the possibility of winning by unfair 
means. Sooner or later every basketball player 
will be beaten unfairly. By that I mean that 
he is beaten by an inferior team who take un- 
fair advantage. The natural impulse is to beat 
them at their own game, but it never pays in 
the long run. The team that plays a clean, fast 
game is sure to win over a team that wastes 
time and energy in trying to ** body-check.'^ 
After all it is the ball you play with, also it is 
the ball that your opponents must play with in 
order to win. Therefore play the ball always. 
If the man you are playing against has the ball 
get your hands on the hall. Don't try to spoil 
his shot or pass by striking his arm or by push- 
ing or tripping him. Besides risking having 
a foul called you are wasting time and an op- 
portunity. Get the hall. If you can't get it 
entirely away, get one hand on it. By so doing 
you prevent his making a shot or an accurate 
pass. If he is dribbling, wait until he starts to 
bounce the ball and then snatch it or bat it out 



HOW_TO. PLAY BASKETBALL 481 

of his reach. A team that plays the ball en- 
tirely ought to beat a rough team easily. If 
they don 't, it is usually because they try to re- 
turn the rough play and so neglect their own 
style. 

A striking example of the superiority of the 
fast-passing team that played the ball instead 
of the man was shown by the team of the Uni- 
versity of Chicago a few years ago, the year 
that they played the two best teams in the East, 
Columbia and Pennsylvania. Columbia had a 
heavy team composed of individual stars who 
have yet to be equaled in individual excellence. 
They relied on these men to score and on the 
other heavy men to get the ball and ^^ feed '' 
them. When they lined up against Chicago it 
looked like an easy victory. Chicago, however, 
by fast passing and always playing the ball 
more than made up for their lack of individual 
stars and won the game by a comfortable mar- 
gin. 

Later on in the same season this same Chi- 
cago team was to play Pennsylvania for the 
intercollegiate championship. Pennsylvania 
had a wonderful team, with a dribbler who was 
supposed to be invincible. The best guards in 
the East had failed to stop his scoring. It was 
on dribbling that Pennsylvania relied mainly. 
Chicago was known to play the fast-passing 
game. The series was regarded with a great 
deal of interest since it would show which style 



482 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

of play was the more efficient. The Chicago 
men had been instructed on stopping dribbles. 
They were to wait until the man started his 
dribble and then cut in and get the ball away. 
They did this and won two successive games 
and the championship. 

So much then for the general outlines of the 
defensive play. It must be fast, clean and with 
well-developed team-play. But there are a 
number of minor details that it is well to know 
when playing on the defense. First, you must 
see how your opponent shoots, whether from 
the knees or from the chest. All players have 
a preference, one way or the other, and in- 
stinctively shoot that way. If the man guard- 
ing knows what to expect he can much more 
easily prevent a shot. Besides, always notice 
whether a man is left-handed or not. Jump for 
the side from which he throws. By taking ad- 
vantage of such points you may break up a 
man's whole system of play. 

When the other side has the ball, and you 
wish to prevent your man from receiving a 
pass, do not face him; try to keep one hand 
touching him, without holding him, of course, 
and watch the ball. In this way you are able 
to intercept almost any pass that can be made 
to him. 

Sometimes it happens that a man has a free 
chance to pass and you are closing in, trying to 
block the throw. In such a case it is best to 



HOW TO PLAY BASKETBALL 483 

watch the man's eyes as he always looks where 
he intends throwing. The same thing is true 
where an opponent has the ball out df bounds ; 
any interference or partial blocking of the 
throw-in helps to break up, or at least slow the 
opponents' team-play. 

Recovering the Ball 

Another point well worth noticing is recover- 
ing the ball when a shot for either basket is 
tried and missed. Follow the course of the ball 
and try to foresee on which side of the basket 
it is going to drop, and how far back into the 
court it will rebound. Then be there, and get 
it. With a little practice this becomes almost 
second nature to a player and is of great service 
to his team. 

When the opponents are throwing a foul, the 
man that shoots must be covered as soon as the 
ball reaches the basket to prevent any possible 
second shot by him, which would count two 
points. 

These are, perhaps, the most common of the 
great number of situations that a player on the 
defensive has to face. Of course every game, 
almost every play brings in some new varia- 
tion. There is only one fixed rule that could 
cover all such cases. It is this, ** Play to get 
the ball. ' ' Players are beginning to realize that 
basketball is nine-tenths getting and keeping 



484 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

the ball and one-tenth basket-shooting. Every 
time you get the ball from the other side and 
start a pl^y that nets a score you are entitled 
to as much or, perhaps, more credit than the 
man that shot the goal. On the football field 
in 1911 the man that won the highest indi- 
vidual honors and the championship for his 
team was the man who watched for his chance 
and succeeded in getting the ball away suddenly 
and scoring on both Yale and Harvard. The 
alert basketball player can do exactly the same 
several times each game. When his opponents 
least expect it he can often intercept a pass or 
snatch the ball away and enable his team to 
score. It is plays like that that win or lose 
games and the players who make them most 
often are the most valuable players. 

All that I have said heretofore has had refer- 
ence only to the technical side of basketball and 
the purely mechanical requirements of the 
game. But there is much more in basketball 
than that. As in every sport, to be a good 
player a man, besides mastering the game's 
technicalities, must be a gentleman at heart. 
Basketball is no game for the man who loses 
his temper, or tries to ^^ slug " his opponent, 
or indulges in any of the many other unsports- 
manlike tactics. The truly excellent player is 
the player who will fight fairly as hard as he 
can and will smile good-naturedly whether he 
be winning or losing. After all, having the 



HOW TO PLAY BASKETBALL 485 

higher score is not the most important thing 
in true sport. The man who, while the game is 
in progress and after it is over has both his 
self-respect and the respect of his team-mates 
and opponents is the one man that is always 
sure to win. His team may be outscored, but 
if he has outpointed and outclassed the other 
side in showing himself a truer gentleman, on 
the scoreboard of his own conscience and that 
.of other men's opinion he is an easy winner. 



BASKETBALL: THE OFFENSE 

BY JAMES A. REILLY 

The offensive part of basketball is essentially 
the most important. Some may say that a good 
defense may result in a good offense, but I do 
not think this is so. Possession of the ball is 
what makes the opposing team defend its goal. 
Nothing could be better offense than to retain 
possession of the ball. It is with the ball that 
the scores are made, so why not control the 
score? If a team has possession of the ball 
often, it must necessarily develop team-play or 
individual play. When *a player sees a chance 
to shoot or pass he immediately disposes of the 
ball. 

It is most important for a team to be clever 
or have some idea of dexterity in the game of 
basketball in order to be among the winners. 
Cleverness is an essential part of the game, of- 
fensively and defensively. 

Cleverness is a prominent feature for one 
who dribbles. He must be able to exert supreme 
control over the ball while in motion, must be 
elusive — especially so while dodging. He must 
have speed and courage. He cannot be cow- 

486 



BASKETBALL: THE OFFENSE 487 

ardly while dribbling. A good dribbler is the 
hardest sort of a man to stop. He is generally 
coming directly toward you and at full speed. 
If you rush at him quickly he evades you by 
clever dodging. If you stay still he is liable to 
be upset or upset you. 

The new dribble rule has affected the playing 
of many men, especially those who always have 
played a dribbling game. According to the new 
rule, the man cannot touch both hands to the 
ball after receiving it more than twice and still 
be entitled to a shot. This is the essence of the 
intercollegiate rule. Formerly there was no 
prohibition against using two hands as often 
as one wished. This new ruling makes a player 
use one hand oftener in dribbling, which is un- 
doubtedly the best way. It is much more diffi- 
cult to use two hands in dribbling than one. 

A slow dribbler is a hindrance to the offense. 
He must be quick and accurate in timing and 
gauging the distance he has to cover in his 
dribble. It is well to know just how far to con- 
tinue the dribble. Many a good chance for a 
shot has been spoiled by a player dribbling just 
once too often when he could have completed it 
earlier. In dribbling a player ought to remem- 
ber that it is best to be advancing as rapidly 
as possible. Some players will stand and drib- 
ble, making no advancement. It is better to 
hold the ball and not dribble if no advance is 
being made. 



488 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

Always dribble while in motion and try to 
dribble toward your opponents^ goal. No rule 
can be laid down in regard to this as many 
times it is necessary to go toward your own 
goal. 

Much may be said against advancing toward 
your own goal. If a team would advance 
toward its own goal only when necessary then 
all would be well. The question then arises 
when is it necessary I My answer would be 
only when there is no chance for a shot or for 
team-play to advance toward your opponents' 
goal. In many instances a man has no chance 
for a basket, but one of his team-mates is behind 
him, clear for a shot. If the ball is passed back 
it is easier for the player behind to shoot. The 
first player is generally covered, or about to be 
covered, or is distracted in his shot in some 
way. Not enough plays which require the ball 
to be passed backward have been used, and 
there will surely be more of these. 

Team-worh 

I believe in team-work, more so than in indi- 
vidual playing, provided the team-work proves 
successful. If team-work does not prove suc- 
cessful then I believe in individual playing. By 
team-work I mean plays in which every man on 
the team is concerned. It is certain that the 
more there are trying to obtain possession of 



BASKETBALL: THE OFFENSE 489 

tlie ball the more cumbersome it is for all play- 
ers. The fewer there are trying to get the ball 
the easier it is to break up plays or to start 
plays. Team-work generally proves successful 
in teams which have played together for some 
length of time, say two years. Each player 
feels that he knows where his team-mates will 
be on every play. If this is the case, then team- 
work ought to be successful. 

Team-work develops instinct among the play- 
ers; they seem to think and play as do their 
team-mates. Fast, clever team-work is enough 
to dazzle any team which relies on individual 
playing. But fast, clever team-work is some- 
thing which is rarely seen. 

Now in regard to individual playing. If a 
team has one star man, accurate in shooting — 
both fouls and goals — it has a very valuable 
asset. The basketball term ^^ feeding to a 
man," means passing the ball to one man, who 
is supposed to be the most accurate shooter. 
This ^^ feeding " game is a good one provided 
the right man is located. The man to whom 
the ball is fed can generally be found in the 
vicinity of his opponents ' basket. A tall, clever 
man is generally the kind whom it would be 
best to ^* feed " to. He has the advantage of 
being able to get the ball above the reach of the 
man guarding him, provided the pass is what it 
should be. He has the advantage of a long 
reach for the ball. 



490 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

Passing 

Accuracy, cleverness and skilfulness in pass- 
ing are an essential in basketball. Nothing is 
more discouraging than to see a man make a 
wild pass. In some cases a man will pass, or 
rather throw the ball, not having the slightest 
idea where it is going. This sort of passing is 
demoralizing. One must pass the ball at the 
proper time. For instance, a slow pass across 
the floor to a man going at full speed generally 
results in a failure. If the pass is to be a short 
one it can be made too speedily. Many a basket 
is lost on too hard or rather too swift a pass at 
close range. 

Passes which are thrown high in the air are 
of no use, except in rare cases. When passes 
are made this way it gives time for one's oppo- 
nents to cover their men. Often these passes 
are intercepted by one's opponents. Long 
passes are good if they are made with sufficient 
speed to carry their distance. These passes 
generally travel almost parallel to the floor, but 
sufficiently high to prevent their being inter- 
cepted. Overhand passes are the best, and most 
commonly used. Few underhand passes are 
used nowadays. 

Long passes can be made better with one 
hand than with two. In fact all passes can be 
made better with one hand. Passes with two 
hands used generally are made when the ball 



BASKETBALL: THE OFFENSE 491 

is being thrown in from out of bounds to in- 
bounds. 

In many cases a pass could be made by boun- 
cing the ball to one's team-mate. This how- 
ever is seldom done, since the ball does not 
travel as fast as by direct passing. A swift 
pass to a man makes him feel confident when 
he catches it. A man must have good judgment 
in catching the ball or he may injure a finger or 
wrist. In many cases a pass can be made by 
rolling the ball along the floor and this is very 
often done. For instance if a man was covered 
and had the ball on the floor, and if one of his 
team-mates were near, he could roll it along 
the floor to him. 

In some gymnasiums the walls are used as a 
means of passing, for instance, where there 
are no out-of-bounds rules and the wall on 
one side is such that a ball can be caromed 
from it. This can be used to advantage. 
A team-mate can stand at a certain spot 
and receive the pass after the carom. No 
gymnasium or basketball court equipped 
in modern fashion would have this, but it 
is a frequent occurrence in small gymna- 
siums. 

Signals 

Many teams base a great deal of their play 
on the use of signals ; others do not. A system 
counts to a great advantage in any sport, and 



492 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

if a system of signals can be developed success- 
fully a winning team should result. Some 
teams have signals in the way of numbers, that 
is their plays are numbered. 

If number one play is wanted, generally the 
center calls aloud '' one.'' Signals by the use 
of the hands or feet are common among most 
basketball teams. For instance some teams 
will have the captain give the signals by pass- 
ing his hand through his hair, or placing his 
hand on his hip, or some such signal. If the 
right hand is up it means the man on the right 
of the center. If the left hand is up, it means 
the man on the left side of the center is to re- 
ceive the tip-ofP, and start the play. 

The center seems to be the best man to give 
the signals. He is at the spot where the play 
starts and should be capable of knowing which 
play or signal to call for at the proper time. 
Some centers give signals by the manner or di- 
rection in which they walk into the center circle. 
If a center should walk into the circle from the 
left it might mean that he was to tip the ball to 
either the left forward or left guard. Entering 
the right side applies as above to the right for- 
ward and guard. Signals can be given by a 
guard or forward. 

It is a very hard thing to be able to play a 
game without having your signals discovered. 
By the end of the first period the signals are 
known. It would be a good plan to have two 



BASKETBALL: THE OFFENSE 493 

sets of signals in case one should be found out. 
The change could be made without much diffi- 
culty. 

In order for signals to work successfully the 
center must be a man capable of outjumping 
his opponent at the toss-up of the ball. It 
doesn't necessarily mean that a center be ex- 
tremely tall. I have seen centers many inches 
shorter than their opponents still able to out- 
jump them. In most cases the taller man is 
the best, but the shorter man may out jump the 
taller. 

If the center man is able to win the jump or 
toss-up, there is an instant advantage. He has 
the play started toward his opponents' goal. 
The center 's team-mate, generally the forward, 
should be ready to receive the tip-off and con- 
tinue the play. It is much better for the for- 
ward or guard to receive the ball while in the 
air rather than when it hits the floor, or after 
it has hit the floor. This makes the play faster 
and allows the man to keep the ball in a more 
advantageous position. 

When the Ball Is Held 

A common play for a jump is not from the 
center but in most cases near the side-line. 
Here again a signal comes in handy. If a man 
could signal to his team-mate that he is going 
to knock the ball out of bounds, his mate could 



494 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

be ready to get it as soon as it went out of 
bounds. This is allowed under tbe intercolle- 
giate rules. But under tbe A. A. U. rules tbe 
ball would have to go to tbe opposite side from 
tbe one tbat knocked it out. 

Securing tbe ball out of bounds is a distinct 
advantage to a team. It allows tbe team to 
start tbe play witb really no opposition. Tbere 
is tbe opponent wbo tries to prevent tbe ball 
from being tbrown into play, but be sbould 
never be in sucb a position as to break up a pass 
from out of bounds. Tbis is an important pass. 

Tbe man opposing tbe man outside generally 
stands close to tbe outside man witb bis arms 
in tbe air in an endeavor to try to stop tbe pass. 
At close quarters it is easier to pass tbe ball by 
a man tban wben tbe men are widely separated. 
If tbe man just inside tbe out of bounds line 
could glance quickly bebind bim to get some 
idea of bow bis opponents are located be migbt 
be able to break up tbe pass, as be bas some 
idea in wbicb direction tbe pass is going to be 
made. A play wbicb wben started from out of 
bounds is broken up immediately before reach- 
ing tbe in-bounds line is demoralizing. It is a 
case where the easiest play is broken up. It is 
a play which never ought to fail, but through 
carelessness it fails more often than any other 
play. Make the easy plays the safest and tbe 
harder ones will take care of themselves. 

Some men are more clever than others in this 



BASKETBALL: THE OFFENSE 495 

game of basketball. For instance a forward is 
generally more clever than a guard. The for- 
wards must be wide-awake, quick, alert, and 
last of all clever. They are, with the center, 
the chief scoring players in the game. 

The center is the pivot man and, with the 
forwards, does most of the scoring. 

If the forwards find it impossible to score as 
much as they should the guards should not hesi- 
tate to take chances to count goals. Many 
teams do not have their guards come down the 
floor enough to shoot for a basket. Clever 
shooting guards are necessary for most teams 
unless the forward men are exceptional. Every 
man on the team should have as much basket- 
shooting practice as possible. Baskets count 
twice as much as fouls. 

Free Throws 

Fouls play a very important part in the 
scoring of the present day game, especially so 
under the intercollegiate rules. If a clever foul- 
shooter can be developed, he is a valuable man 
to any team. If he can he counted on to shoot 
seven-tenths of his tries, he plays an important 
part in the score. Ten intercollegiate games of 
the past season were really won by superior 
basket-shooting. More were won by superior 
foul-shooting. Too many fouls undoubtedly 
spoil a basketball game, and this was often the 



496 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

case in the intercoUegi'ate series. Some teams 
have a good foul-shooter who is generally a 
good basket-shooter. This is not always the 
case, as it is a different proposition to be shoot- 
ing for the basket while in motion, as is gener- 
ally the case, from what it is when one is shoot- 
ing at leisure from the foul-line. A man who 
can shoot half the fouls he tries for is main- 
taining a good average. 

Under the intercollegiate rules fouls are the 
chief point-scoring means. Some games of the 
past season contained as many as forty-one 
fouls. Twenty-two fouls were called on one 
team and nineteen on the other. There were 
forty minutes of playing time. This makes an 
average of a foul a minute. Games of this sort 
are not interesting to watch. There were no 
reasons for so many fouls being called, but if 
the officials insist on calling fouls it is neces- 
sary to have a good foul-shooter on any team. 

In general if a team has at least one good 
dribbler, a clever center around whom a team 
can be built, a good foul-shooter, a signal sys- 
tem, there is no reason why it should not be 
successful. As is said above, possession of the 
ball is the chief factor. This is so of any game 
but especially in basketball. 



GOLF 



GOLF: THE COMING GAME 

BY KALPH CRACKNELL 

Golf is the coming game. Already it has 
more than kept pace with its younger rivals; 
and, from a pnrely local Scotch game, has ex- 
tended its fascinations to every English-speak- 
ing community. 

That the international popularity of golf, 
widespread as it already is, will go on increas- 
ing, seems an assured fact, as it is based on 
certain unique characteristics, in which the 
grand old game has no rivals. 

In golfing, the mental, as well as the physical 
and muscular, qualities are called into full play. 
Like the surface of the ideal golf link, the game 
presents a series of perpetual changes. Diffi- 
culty after difficulty arises, which the player is 
called upon to surmount by cool judgment and 
prompt action. The same complication may 
never occur twice in identical circumstances; 
therefore the ingenuity, skill, and intelligence 
of the golfer have unlimited scope. 

Meanwhile, although the violent, intermittent 
exercise, which renders baseball, cricket, and 

499 



500 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

football impracticable to all save veritable ath- 
letes, can always be avoided in golf; the legs 
and arms are called into equable and invigor- 
ating action. 

Unlike almost all otber out-door games, golf 
can be played all the year round. This is even 
possible during the winter months, as an ad- 
mirable game can be insured upon the snow by 
the use of red balls. 

But its most generally appreciated peculiar- 
ity is, that it may include among its devotees 
five of Shakespeare's *' Seven ages of man,'' 
from the immature schoolboy to the ^ ^ lean and 
slippered pantaloon; " while the girls, too, are 
afforded an equal opportunity to develop prac- 
tical enthusiasm, if not proficiency. 

Almost the only indispensable requisite of a 
golf course is space. If a sufficient area is 
available, the impracticability of the surface for 
other games is rather a recommendation; all 
such irregularities and impediments are known 
as '* bunkers." Without these, all would be 
literally flat, stale, and unprofitable to the 
chronic golfer, who estimates his enjoyment by 
the number of '* hazards " such obstructions 
oblige him to play. 

The full course may be any distance from 
three to five miles, though a course half the size 
may be played round twice. Eighteen holes, 
from four and a half to five inches in depth and 
diameter, are cut in the turf at intervals, not 



GOLF: THE COMING GAME 501 

necessarily equidistant, and kept in shape with 
a metal lining. 

The turf around each hole for about twenty 
yards must be perfectly level. These spaces 
are known as ** putting-greens,'^ and are 
tended as so many gardens. In each hole is 
placed a long rod, surmounted by a flag, to in- 
dicate its locality; but should the course be 
unusually undulating, additional * ' guide flags ' ' 
are placed to mark the route from hole to hole. 
These flags should be of a uniform color for 
half the circuit, while those indicating the re- 
turn route should be a distinct contrast. 

Adjoining each ^^ putting-green, ' ' a small 
space within painted lines is reserved as a 
** teeing-ground. ' ' It is from this the ball is 
*^ teed '^ toward the next hole. To facilitate 
the game, a box of sand is generally placed 
within reach of the players; and, from this, 
a bit of sand may be taken to elevate the ball 
slightly, and insure a clean and effective hit. 

The ball used is about five inches in circum- 
ference, and made with a gutta-percha cover, 
enclosing a variously constructed core contain- 
ing rubber. The game commences by each side 
playing a ball from the teeing ground, where 
the start and finish of the course converge in 
the direction of the first hole. A side may con- 
sist of one or more players, and two or more 
sides constitute a game. The hole is won by 
the side '^ holing its ball '' in the fewest 



502 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

strokes. When the strokes are equal, the hole 
is divided. 

As the hole is approached by the leading 
player, the flagstaff is temporarily removed 
until the hole is scored. The ball is then struck 
from the adjacent ** teeing-ground '* in the di- 
rection of the second hole, and so on. In a 
match the partners strike alternately from the 
tees, and also during the play of the hole. 

The players who are to strike against each 
other should be named at starting, and con- 
tinue in the same order. The side winning a 
hole leads in starting for the next. This privi- 
lege is called the ^* honor.'' 

One round of the links (a round amounts gen- 
erally to eighteen holes in all) is a match, unless 
otherwise agreed upon. The match is won by 
the side which gets more holes ahead than re- 
main to be played, or by the side winning the 
last hole when the score is even at the previous 
one. 

When there is only one player on each side, 
the match is called a ^* singles.'' Two players 
on a side constitute a ** foursome." These are 
the two most common and popular forms of 
golf. 

What lends golf the variety and uncertainty 
which are its chief fascinations, is the diversi- 
fied surface over which it is played. All ob- 
structions, from scrub to stone walls, intercept 
the ball in its progress from hole to hole. As it 



GOLF: THE COMING GAME 503 

cannot be handled, save in very exceptional 
cases, it must be *^ played out '' of the 
** bunker " or ** hazard '' which stopped its 
flight. To make the smallest number of strokes 
to release it, clubs in great variety are used. 

A moderate golf equipment is supposed to in- 
clude the driver, long spoon, short spoon, 
brassie, driving iron, lofting iron, mashie, cleek, 
niblick, and putter. The first four and the last 
have wooden heads. The remainder are of iron. 
The driver is used for ** teeing," and easy, 
long-distance strokes. The long spoon is used 
in high grass, and when elevation of the ball 
is desired. The '* driving '' and ** lofting '* 
irons serve as more powerful alternates. The 
short spoon is used for short drives, and when 
the player stands below the level of the ball. 
The brassie, niblick, and cleek are tried in very 
awkward *^ hazards.'' The ^' mashie '' and 
*' putter " come into play when on or near the 
** putting-green.'' 



GOLF AS A GAME 

BY S. P. GEIFFITTS 

Foe just how many years the game of golf 
has been played, no one knows; but it is safe 
to say that it has an earlier origin than most 
people believe. It may be stated with a reason- 
able degree of certainty that the game was 
known to the Dutch in the early part of the fif- 
teenth century, and that it was played in Hol- 
land before it was taken up in Scotland, with 
which country the name of golf is so generally 
associated. 

When the game was introduced into Scotland, 
it was at once taken up rather extensively. 
While the exact date of its debut into Scottish 
society is not known, it was played so much in 
1457 as to seriously interfere with the impor- 
tant pursuit of archery. In fact, it was becom- 
ing so popular that it was beginning to consume 
much of the time of the Scottish business men. 
In the spring of 1457 the Scottish Parliament 
^' decreted and ordained that the fute-ball and 
golf be utterly cryit down and nocht usit." 
Even as late as 1491, the pastime was still being 
condemned, and in that year the following re- 

604 



GOLF AS A GAME 505 

sentf ul f ulmination was drawn up : * * Fute-ball 
and Golf e forbidden. Item, it is statut and or- 
dainit that in na place of the realme there be 
usit' fute-ball, golfe, or uther sik unprofitabill 
sportis." In spite of the cry against it, how- 
ever, the game had come to stay, and continued 
to flourish. Of course the game of golf of the 
fifteenth century had far different characteris- 
tics from the game as it is played to-day; but 
the fact remains that golf as a sport was con- 
ceived of, inaugurated, indulged in, and en- 
joyed at a very early date. 

In more recent years, golf as a universal 
game has had a remarkable growth. Thirty 
years ago the man who traveled about England 
with a set of golf clubs created quite a sensa- 
tion among his fellow-men. Even the elemen- 
tary principles of the game were not generally 
understood. It was often confounded in the 
popular mind with the game of polo, and one of 
the most frequent questions in regard to the 
game was, ' ' You have to be a fine rider, do you 
not, to play golf ? ' ' But all of a sudden, for no 
very obvious reason, the game seemed to as- 
sume a commanding position in the eyes of the 
sportive world, and ever since its popularity 
has increased tremendously. 

And now let us try to analyze why it is that 
the game has been so favored by the sport- 
loving public and has enjoyed such a rapid 
growth. Occasionally one hears it stated in the 



506 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

course of conversation that golf is an old man's 
game, that it does not afford sufficient exercise 
for the younger generation. The game is 
turned down by a certain minority as being too 
expensive for every-day indulgence, and not 
worth while. These seem to be rather loose 
statements of the facts, however. In answer to 
the first criticism, while the writer gladly ad- 
mits that golf is a source of pleasure for the 
older generation, yet he maintains that the 
game offers amply sufficient exercise for the 
health and well-being of the younger genera- 
tion as well. The adaptability of the game of 
golf is one of its main features. It is a game 
which need not of necessity be dropped when a 
man reaches his riper years. Not only is the 
game favorable to continued participation from 
youth to old age, but it may easily be taken up 
by a man of two score years or more and 
learned sufficiently well to afford him interest- 
ing diversion. The older player is generally 
contented if he succeeds in hitting the ball for 
a moderate distance down the center of the 
course. He relies upon accuracy, and does not 
depend upon distance. The younger player, on 
the other hand, is as a rule not so accurate, but 
relies upon greater distance and sensational re- 
coveries. He hits the ball harder, with the ex- 
ertion of a greater amount of energy ; and as a 
result he obtains a proportionately greater 
amount of exercise from the playing of his 



GOLF AS A GAME 507 

strokes. But it is not so much tlie actual play 
as the vast amount of necessary walking which 
affords the chief exercise to be derived from 
golf. Thus golf is a game suitable to the requi- 
sitions of both old and young. As to the ex- 
pense, it is true that golf requires a larger cash 
outlay than many other games; but the ac- 
knowledgment of the statement that the game 
is not worth while does not follow. Although 
it is a comparatively expensive pastime, its 
physical, temperamental, and social advantages 
far outweigh any slight financial disadvantage. 
We have reviewed the physical advantages 
of the game. Now let us look at its tempera- 
mental and social advantages. It is very rare 
for a person to become a successful golfer until 
he has perfected his faculty of self-control. Pa- 
tience is an all-important factor, especially if 
one aspires to fame in the golfing world and 
participates in tournament play. Again, an 
easily disconcerted person is greatly handi- 
capped; for accuracy is essential, and the 
slightest miscalculation will bring disastrous 
results. The player must not allow himself to 
be readily discouraged at some disappointment 
in the course of play, because, in medal play 
especially, the outcome of the game is as a rule 
uncertain to the very end. Victories are often 
achieved after uphill struggles and under de- 
cidedly unfavorable circumstances. A well- 
known case is that of the veteran Tom Morris, 



508 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

who, having played into a bunker, was asked 
whether he intended to ^' pick up.'' With his 
characteristic perseverance and determination 
he replied, ** Na, I might hole it,'' and sure 
enough he did. Thus the interest in the play 
never lags. The social advantages of the game 
are self-evident. It should be borne in mind, 
however, that golf is a gentleman's game, and 
that more than one large business deal has been 
closed on the golf links. 

So popular has the game become in the 
United States that hundreds of clubhouses and 
courses have been constructed and are now in 
the process of construction throughout the 
country. To-day the United States and Great 
Britain are unquestionably the two most enthu- 
siastic golfing nations of the world. The United 
States has kept up well with Great Britain in 
producing players who have not only performed 
remarkably on particular occasions but have 
performed consistently well on almost all occa- 
sions. There are many players worthy of 
mention, and it is a difficult task to single out 
the star performers ; but there are a few whose 
performances are hard to ignore. The golf 
which has been and is still being exhibited by 
Walter J. Travis is indeed wonderful. Not 
only has he been three times holder of the Met- 
ropolitan title and three times holder of the 
National Amateur title in the United States, 
but he has also invaded foreign fields of con- 



GOLF AS A GAME 509 

quest. It was in 1904 tliat he won tlie British 
Amateur championship at Sandwich, England, 
defeating E. B. H. Blackwell in the final round. 
Travis is still an exceptionally difficult man to 
beat in spite of his years, and is still a stum- 
bling-block in tournament play for many a 
youthful aspirant to golfing fame. H. Chandler 
Egan, whose business has not enabled him to 
participate in the recent Western Amateur and 
National Amateur championships, has a record 
to his credit no less worthy of praise. Begin- 
ning his chain of victories by winning the In- 
tercollegiate championship in 1902, he won the 
Western Amateur championship in 1902, 1904, 
1905, and 1907, and the United States Amateur 
championship in 1904 and 1905. Jerome D. 
Travers is probably the best and most consist- 
ent match player in the country to-day. He 
won the Metropolitan championship in 1906 
and 1907, and is a four-times winner of the 
United States Amateur championship, having 
been returned victorious in 1907, 1908, 1912, 
and 1913. Such a record needs no explanation. 
While Charles ('' Chick '') Evans, Jr., has not 
so many titles to his credit, nevertheless he 
looms up year after year as a finalist and semi- 
finalist in the big tournaments. In 1910 he es- 
tablished a record for an amateur by winning 
the Western Open title, and he also won the 
Western Amateur championship in 1909 and 
1912. In addition, Evans won the French Ama- 



510 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

teur title in 1911, defeating J. G. Anderson, an- 
other United States participant, in the final 
round. His poor putting has been a severe 
handicap to his play of late ; but he is a player 
who is never to be counted as out of the run- 
ning, no matter how poor a start he may make 
in a match or medal play competition. The 
writer will never forget the qualifying round 
of a tournament held in the vicinity of Chicago 
a few years ago. * * Chick ' ' was considered to 
have a good chance to win the low gross medal ; 
but when he took forty-five for the first nine 
holes of the eighteen hole qualifying round, no 
one conceded him a fighting chance for a vic- 
torious finish. The second nine holes, however, 
he succeeded in completing in thirty-two strokes 
for a total of seventy-seven, which was the low 
score of the day. Such a recovery is often 
hoped for, but seldom made. 

The most recent accomplishment of an Amer- 
ican golfer, and one of which the nation is 
justly proud, is the victory of Francis Ouimet, 
of Boston, in the United States Open champion- 
ship of 1913. This championship, which was 
played over the course of the Brookline Coun- 
try Club, assumed the nature of an interna- 
tional competition because of the participation 
of such famed foreign players as Harry Var- 
don and Edward Eay, of England, and Louis 
Tellier, of France. Not only did Ouimet estab- 
lish himself as the first amateur to win the 



GOLF AS A GAME 511 

United States Open title, but he must also be 
credited with winning that title from the most 
difficult field of players that ever contended for 
the championship. By making a most remark- 
able and sensational finish on September 19th, 
Ouimet was enabled to tie for low score with 
Harry Vardon and Edward Ray, of England. 
On the following day, which was rainy and de- 
cidedly unfavorable for golfing, the young Bos- 
ton amateur traversed the difficult Country 
Club links in seventy-two strokes, taking thirty- 
eight for the first nine and thirty-four for the 
second nine holes. The best Vardon could score 
under the adverse weather conditions was 
39-38-77, while Ray required 40-38-78. It is 
safe to say that no golfer has ever displayed 
such nerve nor achieved such distinction as 
Ouimet did on this occasion. Harold H. Hilton 
and John Ball have won the British Open title, 
competing against fields of skilled profession- 
als ; but neither of them ever went out in com- 
pany with two such men as Harry Vardon and 
Edward Ray, and, with so much at stake and 
such responsibility to shoulder, made them 
take trailing positions. Travis tied for second 
place in the U. S. G. A. Open championship 
some thirteen years ago at Garden City, but no 
player ever got beyond that point in the Na- 
tional Open event. The Boston Transcript 
commented upon Ouimet 's victory as follows: 
'* Words utterly fail in attempting to describe 



512 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS 

how Francis Ouimet, a young Boston amateur 
golfer, defeated the world-famous Harry Var- 
don and the almost equally famous Edward 
Eay, both of England, at the Country Club in 
Brookline in the play-off for the open cham- 
pionship of the United States Golf Association. 
To say that his performance was brilliant is 
feeble, to say that it was perfectly astounding 
and will come as the greatest shock ever ex- 
perienced in the British Isles, the breeding 
ground of the greatest players the world has 
known, is only lightly to convey the state of 
mind of those who looked on as the match pro- 
gressed, hole by hole, to its ultimate triumph 
for the Boston boy.'' In short, with such play- 
ers as Francis Ouimet, of Boston, ** Nick '' 
Allis, of Milwaukee, and Eraser Hale, of Chi- 
cago, just rising into prominence, and with men 
of such high caliber as ** Chick '' Evans, War- 
ren K. Wood, Kobert A. Grardner, and Albert 
Seckel, of Chicago, J. G. Anderson and P. W. 
Whittemore, of Boston, Eben M. Ayers and W. 
C. Fownes, Jr., of the Pennsylvania district, 
and Walter J. Travis, Jerome D. Travers, and 
Fred Herreshoff, of the Metropolitan district, 
in addition to numerous others, the United 
States seems to have succeeded in developing 
a strong golfing contingent. May the sport 
continue to flourish in the future as it has dur- 
ing the past thirty years ! 

THE END. 



a+77-2 



UIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

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